THE ENGLISH HISTORY 
STORY-BOOK 




ALBERT F. BLAISDELL AND 
FRANCIS K.BALL 




Class 
Book. 



— 



Copyrights?.. 

COPWUGHT DEPOSm 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY 
STORY-BOOK 







THE CHARGE OF THE. LIGHT BRIGADE. Frontispiece. Page 



190. 



The English History 
Story - Book 



Br 

ALBERT F. BLAISDELL 

AND 

FRANCIS K. BALL 

Authors of " The American History Story-Book," etc. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 

FRANK T. MERRILL 



Boston 

Little, Brown, and Company 

1912 



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Copyright, 1912, 
By Little, Brown, and Company. 

All rights reserved 
Published, September, 1912 



ElectrotypedandPrintedby 
THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U. S. A. 



0, 7-T 

6CI.A319662 

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To C-G-B 

FOR REMEMBRANCE 



PREFACE 

This book is intended to be used as a sup- 
plementary reading book for the fourth and 
fifth grades of our public schools, and for 
any other young people from ten to fifteen 
years of age. It is also designed as a collateral 
reading book in connection with the formal 
study of the numerous elementary textbooks 
on English history. 

The authors have attempted to set forth 
in some detail a series of dramatic and pic- 
turesque events in English history from the 
earliest times to the present day. These 
events have been carefully compiled and re- 
written from standard books and authors. 
The story form has been freely used, because 
experience in the schoolroom shows that such 
an arrangement usually serves to arouse a 
lively interest in historical reading and to 

vii 



PREFACE 

stimulate a laudable ambition to read more 
advanced books written for young people 
on similar subjects. 

It is suggested that teachers and others 
supplement the text of this book with such 
other historical material as may be readily 
obtained from school, home, or the public 
libraries. 

Albert F. Blaisdell. 
Francis K. Ball. 

July, 1912. 



Vlll 



CONTENTS 



I. The Britons and Their Brave Chief . 1 

II. A Brave Briton Queen and the Romans . 5 

III. The Coming of the Saxons and Angles . 9 

IV. The Good King Arthur 14 

V. How Prince Alfred Learned to Read . 19 

VI. King Alfred and the Danes .... 23 

VII. King Alfred and the Cakes .... 27 

VIII. King Alfred in the Camp of the Danes . 31 

IX. King Canute, the Dane 36 

X. King Canute on the Seashore . . . 41 

XI. The Coming of the Normans ... 44 

XII. The Battle of Hastings 48 

XIII. William the Conqueror 52 

XIV. The Red King 57 

XV. Henry the First and the White Ship . 61 

XVI. Henry the Second, Who Died Broken- 
hearted 66 

XVII. Richard the Lion Heart and His Minstrel 69 

XVIII. How King Richard Met His Death . . 73 

XIX. Robin Hood 76 

XX. Robin Hood's Last Shot 79 

ix 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XXI. King John and the Magna Charta . 82 

XXII. Prince Arthur 86 

XXIII. King Edward the First .... 91 

XXIV. The First Prince of Wales ... 94 
XXV. Robert Bruce 98 

XXVI. Edward the Black Prince .... 104 

XXVII. The Brave Men of Calais . . .109 

XXVIII. Prince Hal 114 

XXIX. How Henry the Sixth Lost His Crown 119 

XXX. The Two Princes in the Tower . . 124 

XXXI. A Queen for Ten Days .... 129 

XXXII. Sir Walter Raleigh 133 

XXXIII. Mary Queen of Scots 139 

XXXIV. Sir Philip Sidney 147 

XXXV. The Defeat of the Spanish Armada . 150 

XXXVI. The Gunpowder Plot 156 

XXXVII. The Royal Oak 160 

XXXVIII. The Great Plague 165 

XXXIX. The Great Fire 168 

XL. " Bonnie Prince Charlie " . . . . 171 

XLI. England's Greatest Naval Hero . . 175 

XLII. James Watt and the Steam Engine . 181 

XLIII. George Stephenson and the Locomotive 184 

XLIV. The Charge of the Light Brigade . . 189 

XLV. Queen Victoria 193 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



The Charge of the Light Brigade . . Frontispiece 
The Romans Battle with the Britons . . Page 3 
King Alfred and the Woodsman's Wife " 29 

Bertrand and the Dying King ..." 75 

Edward the Third and the Black Prince . . " 106 
Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh . . " 135 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY 
STORY-BOOK 



THE BRITONS AND THEIR BRAVE CHIEF 

MANY, many years ago the people in 
England were called Britons. They 
lived in rude huts of wood and turf. 
Their clothes were not like ours, but were 
made of the skins of sheep and deer, and were 
coarse and rough. But in spite of all this, the 
Britons loved their island home. They loved 
the great forests, and often spent the whole 
day hunting. They used bows and arrows, 
and taught their sons to shoot the deer, the 
wild boar, and the wolf. They killed the 
wild beasts with their spears, too, which 
were short poles pointed with a sharp stone 
or a piece of bronze. 

1 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

The Britons were also daring fishermen. 
Their boats were nothing but twigs woven 
together into a kind of basket. The outside 
was covered with skins to keep the water 
out. These basket boats were sometimes so 
light that a boy could put one on his back 
and carry it home. The Britons caught their 
fish by spearing them, or by using hooks 
made of bone. 

At this time there lived far away to the 
south, in Italy, a people who called themselves 
Romans, after the name of their great city 
Rome. These Romans were the best soldiers 
in the world, and were not often beaten in 
battle. They went from one country to an- 
other fighting and conquering the people. 
Then they ruled over the land and called it 
their own. 

About two thousand years ago, Julius 
Caesar, who was Rome's greatest general, 
started across the sea to take the land away 
from the poor Britons. 

On the eastern side of England are high, 
2 




THE ROMANS BATTLE WITH THE BRITONS. Page 3. 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

white cliffs. Here the Britons often stood 
and looked out over the sea. It must have 
been lonely. There was no sound but the 
wind in the dark forests, and the waves 
breaking on the rocks far below. 

One bright July morning, just as they were 
ready to start fishing, they caught sight of 
hundreds of strange boats coming straight 
across the water. The Britons had never 
seen anything like them. Some of the boats 
were large and some were small, but all were 
filled with Roman soldiers. 

The Britons were fierce and brave. They 
fought more than a hundred years to drive 
the Romans out. One Briton chief, Caradoc, 
fought so many battles with the Romans 
and fought them so well that they wanted to 
catch him. At last, after nine years of fight- 
ing, they made him prisoner. They put his 
hands and feet in chains, and took him with 
his wife and children to Rome. 

The people in Rome soon heard of the 
famous chief that had been brought from 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

over the sea. And when he was to be led in 
chains through the streets, they came together 
in crowds to see the strange sight. 

When the Briton chief was led before his 
captors, he showed no signs of fear. He lifted 
his head proudly and looked upon the beau- 
tiful marble buildings. 

" Why did you come and rob us of our 
poor huts when you have such great houses 
and temples of your own? " he asked. " Now 
that I have lost my country, I do not fear 
to die." 

" How kingly he is! " the Romans cried; 
and they were so pleased with his noble looks 
that they took off his chains and set him free. 



II 

A BRAVE BRITON QUEEN AND THE ROMANS 

OUEEN BOADICEA ruled in a part 
of England where there were many 
Romans. The Romans were cruel 
to her and her children. They robbed her 
of her money. They beat her. They nearly 
killed her daughters. 

Now the queen knew that the Britons loved 
her, and she told them her wrongs. 

" My people," she said, " we had all better 
die than be slaves of the Romans. We are 
larger and stronger and braver than they. 
Help me to drive them out of our land." 
The Britons set up a great shout. 
" We are ready to fight for you, brave 
queen. Lead us against the Romans, and we 
will follow." 

5 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

Just then most of the Romans were miles 
away, fighting in another part of the coun- 
try. There was nobody to stop the queen 
and her men. They marched to the places 
where the Romans lived, and burned their 
houses and killed the people. They drove 
the Romans out of London, which at that 
time was only a poor little town. 

Every day more Britons came to help the 
queen. She had more soldiers than the Ro- 
mans. 

At last there was a great battle. Before 
the fighting began, the queen stepped into 
her chariot and drove before her army. 

Queen Boadicea was taller and larger than 
most women. She wore a long, dark cloak, 
and carried a spear in her hand. Around 
her neck was a gold collar. Her yellow 
hair hung below her waist and streamed 
in the wind. Her voice was strong and clear. 
Once more she told her soldiers the story 
of the great wrong done her by the Ro- 
mans. 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

" I will win this battle, or die. You may 
live and be the slaves of the Romans." 

The Britons rushed at the Romans many 
times, and with great force. But it was of 
no use. The Romans knew much better how 
to fight, and won the day. Many of the 
Britons were killed. The rest hid themselves 
in the great forest, where the sun never 
shone. The poor friendless queen fled after 
her people, and took her own life, that she 
might not fall into the hands of her enemies. 

And so the Romans became masters of the 
land. They ruled it more than three hundred 
years. At first they were hated. But finally 
the Britons became friendly to them. 

The Roman soldiers made great changes in 
the island. They built roads through the 
gloomy forests. They made bridges over 
the rivers. They taught the Britons to build 
good houses. They also made two long stone 
walls across the country from sea to sea. 
These walls were three times as high as a 
man. They were to keep out the wild Picts 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

and Scots of the north, who had often robbed 
and killed the Britons of the south. 

All this was long ago. But even now, 
when men dig in the ground, they sometimes 
find money that the Romans used, or bits of 
plates from which they ate, or pieces of gob- 
lets from which they drank. Wells that the 
Romans made are still in use. And the 
Roman roads are now streets or highways. 

In many parts of England you can still see 
grassy mounds beneath which heaps of Brit- 
ons lie buried. The great walls have fallen, 
and moss and weeds have grown over and 
hidden them. They say that in the warm 
summer afternoons shepherds and their dogs 
sleep in the tall grass where the Britons and 
the Romans once fought so fiercely. 



8 



Ill 

THE COMING OF THE SAXONS AND ANGLES 

WHEN the Roman soldiers were fi- 
nally called back to Italy, the 
Britons had a hard time. The 
great walls were broken down, and the rob- 
bers of the north climbed over them. They 
stripped the fields and the houses; they drove 
away the horses, cows, and sheep; and they 
killed the people. The Britons could not 
stop them. 

At this time some pirates attacked them 
by sea. These new people came from the 
land along the river Rhine. They called 
themselves Saxons. They had many vine- 
yards and made the best wine in Europe. 

These strangers loved the sea, and fought 
as well on water as on land. They fought 

9 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

with axes, spears, and iron clubs. They 
sailed about from place to place, and called 
themselves sea rovers. 

At last the Britons sent the Romans a 
letter, which they called the Groans of the 
Britons, and asked the Romans to come and 
help them. 

" The barbarians chase us into the sea, 
and the pirates drive us back on the bar- 
barians," they wrote. " Between the two 
we must die by the sword or perish in the 
waves." 

But the Romans did not come; they were 
needed at home. 

The Britons did not know what to do. 
But one day their king, who was called Vor- 
tigern, saw some of the Saxon pirates sailing 
close to the shore. They were tall, fine-look- 
ing men, with blue eyes and yellow hair. 

" Perhaps we can make peace with these 
men and get them to help us," he said to 
himself; and he went down to the beach to 
talk with them. 

10 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

" Can you fight well? " he asked. 

The sea rovers smiled, and let him see 
their sharp axes and heavy clubs. 

" Are you afraid of those wild men who 
are robbing my land and killing my people? " 

" We are afraid of nobody," one of the 
chiefs replied. 

" What will you do for us if we drive out 
your robbers? " asked another chief. 

" You shall have some of my best land." 

Thus it came about that King Vortigern 
made a treaty of friendship with these two 
Saxon chiefs, Hengist and Horsa. The Sax- 
ons drove back the Picts and Scots, and were 
given a small island, called the Isle of Thanet, 
in which they were to make their home. 
And they were allowed to invite more of their 
people to come across the sea and live with 
them. 

Not long after this, the Saxon chiefs made 
a feast, and invited King Vortigern and the 
Britons. Now Hengist had a fair daughter^ 
named Rowena. While the king and his 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

men were eating, the lovely girl came in. 
She carried a golden cup filled with purple wine. 

" Health to thee, dear king! " she cried 
with a sweet voice, kneeling before Vortigern 
and giving him the goblet. 

The king fell in love with the beautiful 
girl, and chose her to be his queen. 

Afterwards more Saxons came and settled 
on the island. Pretty soon they began to 
occupy the mainland. Then from across the 
North Sea came other strangers, called Angles. 
They were related to the Saxons. They also 
settled in many parts of the country belong- 
ing to the Britons. 

Now many battles were fought between the 
Saxons and the Britons. King Vortigern 
was angry and jealous because the strangers 
took so much of his land. But whenever this 
happened, Queen Rowena would put her 
arms round his neck and say, " They are my 
people, dear king; be kind to them, as you 
loved the Saxon girl who gave you the golden 
cup of wine at the feast." 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

Thus the Saxons and the Angles spread 
over the land. It seems there were more 
Angles than Saxons, and they were more 
powerful. They ruled so much of the country 
that at last it was no longer called Briton, 
but England, that is, Angle-land, or the land 
of the Angles. And it has been called by 
that name ever since. 



13 



IV 

THE GOOD KING ARTHUR 

THE old Britons were great eaters. 
One night, as often happened, some 
of them were having a feast. A big 
fire blazed in the middle of the room, and the 
smoke went out of a hole in the roof. 

The low hall was full of noisy men. They 
were pouring wine into their silver cups 
when the door slowly opened and an old 
Briton came in with a harp slung on his 
back. His long gray beard covered his 
breast. 

This man was a bard. The bards were old 
minstrels, who went about from place to place 
and sang the glorious deeds of the heroes of 
the past. 

14 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

" Thou art welcome, stranger/' said the 
chief. " Friends, heap more logs on the fire. 
Bring in fresh torches." 

The old Briton came forward and stood 
in silence. 

" Unbind thy harp, old man, and sing to 
us of thy Arthur." 

The singer began. Hour after hour he 
told stories of his great king, who had been 
as gentle as he was brave. The red logs 
turned to ashes; the flaring torches burned 
out; the room grew silent; for these rough 
English soldiers loved to hear of King Arthur. 
Many were the stories of this good king; 
but this was all so long ago that we cannot 
tell how much is true. 

No other king was ever so just and so 
kind as good King Arthur. The bravest men 
in the land were always with him. They sat 
at a round table with him, and were called the 
Knights of the Round Table. The table 
would seat a hundred and fifty. 

These knights were brave and good. They 
15 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

always said, " The king follows Christ, and 
we follow the king." 

Now Arthur and his twelve bravest knights 
won twelve battles. At last, however, after 
fighting the whole day, all the knights were 
killed but one, and King Arthur himself 
was wounded. 

The king gave the knight his sword. Its 
handle was set with lovely gems, and flashed 
in the bright moonlight. 

" Fling it far out into the lake." 

But the knight tried to hide the sword, that 
he might keep it. 

Again he was bidden, and again he did not 
obey. 

For the third time the king cried, " Cast 
the sword into the lake. If thou dost not, 
I will slay thee." 

The knight closed his eyes that he might 
not see the shining gems. With both hands 
he swung the mighty sword and flung it 
far out into the water. 

The sword turned and gleamed before their 
16 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

eyes. A white hand and arm rose from the 
lake, caught the blade, waved the weapon 
three times, and drew it under the water. 

" Ah," said the king, " my end is near. 
Carry me down to the water's edge." 

Then as in a dream a boat like a shadow 
came to the shore. In it stood three queens, 
weeping, in robes and hoods of black. 

Arthur was laid in this strange boat; and 
the boat moved slowly away till it faded from 
sight in the morning sky. 

And thus, as the story goes, King Arthur 
passed away from this earth. 

At this time the Britons were living in the 
wild country in the west of England; for the 
rest of their beautiful island had been taken 
from them by the English. In winter the 
sea fogs rolled over the bleak rocks, and at 
night the howl of the wolf came down from the 
mountains. But in summer the little valleys 
grew green. Then the Britons came out of their 
huts. They looked longingly at the golden 
clouds, which seemed to touch the mountains. 

17 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

" Our Arthur sleeps long," they said to 
one another, as they watched and waited; 
" but he will surely come again to rule over 
his people and fight for them." 



18 



HOW PRINCE ALFRED LEARNED TO READ 

MORE than a thousand years ago 
there lived an English prince named 
Alfred. He was the king's youngest 
and favorite son. Twice he had been on the 
long journey to Rome. But at the age of 
twelve he had not yet learned to read. 

This may seem strange. At that time, 
however, nobody knew how to print books, 
and it took a long time to make one; for every 
word was made with pen and ink. And so 
there were few books, and few people who 
could read them. 

Now Alfred's mother had learned to read. 
She had one book that she liked best of all. 
When she read, she sat at the lattice window, 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

which almost always stood open, because 
in those days there were no glass windows, 
and the rooms were dark. 

One day when the queen was reading, 
Alfred and his three brothers came in. She 
called them to her. 

" See, my sons; here is a book for you to 
look at." 

The boys took the book and opened it. 
They liked the bright pictures, which were 
in blue, red, and gold. But they could not 
tell what they meant. 

" Should you like to have this book for 
your own? " she asked. 

The boys were sure they should. 

" Well, I will give it to the one who first 
learns to read it." 

The oldest prince put the book down, say- 
ing, " I had rather hunt than sit still every 
day, hour after hour." 

" And I had rather shoot with my bow and 
arrows," said his brother, kicking up the 
rushes that lay on the floor. 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

Alfred sat down on a stool, and turned over 
the leaves of the book, one by one. 

" Let me take it with me, mother; " and he 
went quietly out of the room. 

In the palace lived a kind old man whom 
Alfred knew well and loved. He now went 
and found him. 

" Will you not show me how to read this 
book? " the little prince asked. " I will try 
my best to learn." 

Alfred did try his very best. He not only 
learned to read the book, but he learned many 
verses by heart. Before long he went to his 
mother and read page after page. 

The queen was much pleased, and gave 
him the book to keep. 

" I hope you will not only read the words 
of this book, but do what they tell you; they 
are all taken from the word of God." 

This is the story of how a king's son learned 
to read. Perhaps it is not all true. But we 
know that he dearly loved books, and read 
all he could get. He also learned to write. 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

Afterwards, when he grew to be a man, 
and became king, he himself wrote a good 
many books. We still read some of the works 
written many hundred years ago by Alfred, 
King of England. 



22 



VI 

KING ALFRED AND THE DANES 

NOW Alfred was twenty-two years old 
when he became king. For some 
years after he came to the throne his 
life was full of sorrow. New foes were swarm- 
ing into England; and they treated the 
English just as the English had treated the 
Britons. 

The English had called themselves the sea 
rovers. These new enemies called them- 
selves the sea kings. They were the Danes. 
They came in black ships from Denmark, 
across the North Sea. 

How the Danes loved the wind and the 
waves! They had ships that were beautiful 
and strong, and they spent most of their 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

time on the water. They were indeed kings 
of the sea. 

They were so fond of the water that when 
one of their chiefs died they laid his body 
in a ship, hoisted the sail, set fire to the ves- 
sel, and sent it forth on its last voyage. It 
burned far out from the land, and their chief 
found a grave in the sea he loved so well. 

At first the Danes only came to the coast, 
and carried off food and money. But at last 
they showed that they meant to drive out 
the English and have the land for their own. 

These daring men came up the rivers in their 
light skiffs. Their flag was blood red, and 
on it was the figure of a raven. When the 
flag waved, the bird seemed to move. Then 
the Danes cried: "We shall win. We shall 
win. The raven claps his wings." 

At night the sky was red with flames. In 
the morning smoking ashes showed what the 
Danes had done. They sometimes even car- 
ried children away, and made them their 

slaves. 

24 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

" God keep us from the fury of the Danes," 
the good mothers prayed when they put 
their little ones to bed. 

King Alfred and his men did their best to 
drive the enemy out. But every year more 
black ships came, till at last Alfred had to 
flee and hide in the woods. 

The king now lived in a poor little house. 
He was all alone except for one servant, who 
would not leave him. 

One day there was a loud knock. 

The old servant did not open the door, but 
called out, " Who is there? " 

" I am poor, and very hungry. Will you 
not help me? " 

The servant went to the king and said, 
" My lord, there is a beggar at the door. 
Shall I send him away? " 

Alfred's heart was full of pity. " What 
food have we in the house? " he asked. 

" Only a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine." 

" Then give the poor man half." 

The ragged fellow reached out his hand for 
25 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

the food, muttering, " God will bless your 
master for this kindness." 

The beggar's words came true. The fight- 
ing went on for some years; but finally peace 
was made, and Alfred came again to his 
throne. 

The Danes and the English now lived to- 
gether like honest men. In the morning they 
led out their oxen and plowed their fields. 
At night the shepherds and their dogs drove 
away the wolves, and watched the sheep. 
Vines and orchards were planted. Towns 
grew up. And everywhere was peace. 



26 



VII 

KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES 

NOW let me go back and tell you a story 
or two about King Alfred when he 
was at war with the Danes. 
One day the English were beaten in a great 
battle. It looked as if the Danes would be 
masters of England. 

After the battle the king was sad and 
troubled. He sent his soldiers away. When 
the last man had gone, he turned and went 
into the dark woods. 

He was very poor. He often wandered 
through the forests without a servant, and 
found food and shelter where he could. He 
wanted to be alone, that he might think how to 
save his land from the Danes. If the Danes 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

had met him, they would not have known 
him; for he wore the clothes of a poor wood- 
man. But he had his arrows on his back, 
and kept his bow in his hand. 

One evening he came to a hut in the midst 
of the forest. Here lived a poor man who 
herded cattle and cut wood. The king looked 
in at the open door. There was nobody in- 
side but the woodman's wife. She was get- 
ting supper. 

Now the woman did not know the king. 
She thought he was somebody hiding from the 
Danes. She was sure he was English because 
of his face and his dress and his long bow. 

" My good woman," said Alfred, " I am 
very tired. May I come in and rest by your 
fire? " 

At first she was afraid. 

" These are hard times for us poor people; 
it may be harder still for me if I let you in." 

Then she looked at his noble face. She 
saw how tired he was, and she could not turn 
him away. 

28 





***'**■ 



^k?>*' 






KING ALFRED AND THE WOODSMAN'S WIFE. Page 29. 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

The king came in and sat down on a stool 
in the corner. He began to mend his bow. 

Some cakes were baking before the fire. 
The woman looked at Alfred and said, " I 
have much to do; you may as well see that 
these cakes do not burn. When they are 
done on one side, turn them round. If you 
do this, you will earn your supper." 

Alfred watched the cakes for a time, and 
turned them, but his thoughts were all on his 
people. 

" How many little children are without 
homes to-night! How many of my bravest 
men are killed! " 

Although he was looking at the fire, he 
did not see it. Nor did he know that the hut 
was full of the smell of burning cakes. 

The woman came running in and cried 
in anger, " There is our supper all spoiled. 
You cannot watch the cakes, you idle dog, 
but you would be glad enough to eat them." 

The king did not say a word. While the 
woman was still scolding fast and loud, her 

29 



THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

husband, who had been one of Alfred's serv- 
ants, came home. 

" What is the matter, wife, and who is 
this? " he asked; for the room was dark and 
he did not at first see Alfred's face. 

" You may well ask. It is an idle fellow 
who does not know when cakes are burning." 

But the woodman fell on his knees before 
the stranger. " Hush, wife; it is our noble 
lord, the king." 

The poor woman was frightened. All she 
could do was to throw herself at his feet and 
cry, " Forgive, forgive! " 

" Peace, good woman; you were kind to 
me, and gave me shelter when I had nowhere 
to go." 

The king did not forget the woodman and 
his wife. When he came again to his throne, 
he did what he could to make them happy. 



30 



VIII 

KING ALFRED IN THE CAMP OF THE DANES 

THERE were many dark days for King 
Alfred before the English and the 
Danes lived at peace with each other. 
At one time the Danes agreed to leave 
England and not come back again. But they 
broke their word. Others kept coming until 
they overran the land. The English had to 
flee to the woods and swamps. 

When things seemed to be at their worst, 
a new trouble arose. The king was missing. 
Nobody could find him. Nobody knew what 
had happened. The people mourned and 
wept. 

" We shall never see him again/' cried 
the women to their husbands. 

" No; the Danes have caught him." 
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A few of the men did not seem so sad, 
but they said nothing. They knew that 
Alfred was hiding on a little island in the 
middle of a great bog. 

This little island was a strange and lonely 
spot. The marsh lay around it for miles. 
The reeds and rushes grew tall. The wild 
fowl flew over the pools, and the beavers 
built their dams. The boars and wild oxen 
came close to the king's hut. 

I suppose the skylarks sang just as sweetly 
then as now. I am sure they sometimes made 
the king forget his sorrow, for he was fond 
of music. Long before this his mother had 
taught him to play on the harp and sing. 

Alfred had taken his harp with him, and 
he often played it, but he was" thinking of his 
poor people and the fierce and bloody Danes. 

" Before I fight any more," he said to 
himself, " I must know how large the Danish 
army is, and if the men are well trained. 
But how can I find out? " 

His eyes fell on his harp. 
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" I will go into the Danes' camp myself. 
They like music. If they know me, of course 
they will kill me; but I shall take care not to 
be found out." 

Alfred dressed himself like a gleeman, as 
the harpers were then called, and made his 
way to the enemy's camp. 

The Danish leader was told that a gleeman 
was waiting outside. 

" Let him be brought in at once." 

Alfred came in with his harp. He was tall 
and strong. His eyes were keen and blue, 
but his hair and his skin were dark. 

He played on his harp, and pleased the 
Danes greatly with his songs and jokes. 
The prince and his men had never heard 
anything of the kind, and they made merry 
with him. How should they know that the 
dark hair and the brown skin hid the yellow 
locks and the fair face of the king of England? 

Alfred found out what he wanted to know. 
He seemed to be thinking of nothing but his 
music; but he was watching everything. 

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As soon as he could get away, he hurried 
back into the forest. He now sent word to 
his soldiers to come to him. How they shouted 
when they found him! The joy of seeing him 
again alive and full of hope put new courage 
into their hearts. 

Very soon the English fell on the Danes 
and beat them badly. 

The Danes were now ready to promise 
anything. They agreed that the western 
half of the land should be kept by the English. 
The eastern half was to be their own if they 
lived like honest men. 

This time they kept their word. They 
stopped burning and robbing. They learned 
English, and became Alfred's subjects. In 
the last years of Alfred's reign men were so 
honest, it is said, that if chains of gold had 
been hung in the streets, nobody would have 
touched them. 

At last the great and good king was once 
more master of his own land. 

Alfred was just as great and good in peace 
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as he had been in war. He rebuilt the ruined 
towns. He trained his soldiers. He built 
a fleet. He made good laws. He studied 
Latin and translated some Latin books for 
the use of his people. He founded schools. 
He asked wise men to come from others 
lands, and what he learned from them he 
taught his people. Indeed, he did far more 
for his subjects than any of the kings before 
him. He was one of the best kings that Eng- 
land has ever had. He was well named Alfred 
the Great, but perhaps it would be better to 
call him Alfred the Good. 



35 



IX 

KING CANUTE, THE DANE 

THE good Alfred died, and his son 
Edward was made king. Then Athel- 
stan, Edward's son, came to the 
throne. After him came six young kings, 
called the boy kings. 

The last of these boy kings, King Ethelred, 
was so weak that he was called the Unready. 
Again the country was invaded by the Danes, 
who spread havoc and ruin. 

Ethelred paid money to the invaders, to 
keep them away; but the more he gave, the 
more they wanted. Years of war and blood- 
shed followed. 

Finally Sweyn, who had now become king 
of Denmark, took the whole country, and 

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King Ethelred fled to France. In a few weeks 
Sweyn died, leaving his son Canute to be 
king of England. 

" We will never let a Dane rule over us," 
said the English. 

For a while there was hard fighting again. 
Ethelred now died, and the country was 
divided between Canute and Ethelred's son 
Edmund. 

" Edmund, son of the Unready, is brave," 
said the English, " and we like him. Let him 
have the south country and the city of 
London. And Canute, if he will do what is 
just, may have the north country." 

But in a month Edmund was dead, and 
Canute was king of all England. He swore 
to be just and kind; yet in spite of this he 
was very cruel. 

" He that brings me the head of any enemy," 
he used to say, " shall be dearer to me than a 
brother." 

After a time, when there was nobody to 
be feared, Canute tried to please his English 

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subjects. He sent away many of his Danish 
soldiers. He took an English woman to be 
his queen, and was as good to the English 
as he was to the Danes. 

As time went on, he grew more and more 
sorry for the suffering he had caused. He 
went all the way to Rome to ask to be for- 
given for the blood he had shed. When he 
came home, he built churches. 

The king went often to church, and had 
his friends go. The church he liked best 
was on a little island in the middle of a lake. 
It was called the church of Ely. 

One morning, when Canute looked out of 
his palace window, he saw the ground covered 
with snow. But he did not mind. He 
and his friends got into their sledges, and 
away they went to church over the frozen 
roads. 

When they came to the lake, they were 
told that the ice was not safe for sledges. 

Canute's only answer was, " I shall cross 
on foot." 

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The king's friends got out of their sledges 
and tried to keep him back. 

Just then a poor man who lived near, and 
who had the odd name of Pudding, came up 
and addressed the king. " Sire, may I lead 
the way? I am so heavy that if the ice will 
bear me, it will bear anybody." 

" Well done, Pudding/' said the king's 
friends. 

The king too was much pleased and said, 
" Thank you, my good fellow. I shall be 
glad if you will run on in front and find a 
safe track." 

Off they started, the heavy young fellow 
running on ahead with a stout pole in his 
hand. He kept striking the ice with his pole 
to find where it was thick and strong. Soon 
they were all safe across. 

Before the king left the church, he called 
Pudding to him and gave him some money. 
He also gave him land on which to build 
a house for himself and his wife. 

I suppose ever afterwards, when the snow 
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was deep, and the icicles hung from the roof 
of his cottage, Pudding thought of the frosty 
morning when he took the king of England 
to church across the ice. 



40 



X 

KING CANUTE ON THE SEASHORE 

WHEN Canute became a better man, 
he became a better king. Perhaps 
he was as just as any other king 
that ruled at that time. 

But Canute's nobles were afraid of him. 
They praised all that he said and did; and 
they tried to say things that pleased him, 
even if they were not true. 

One day they were walking with him on the 
seashore. The tide was coming in. 

" You are so great a king," said one of 
the nobles, " that even the waves of the sea 
would do as you told them." 

When Canute heard this, he thought it 
was time to teach the men how silly they 
were. 

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" Bring me a chair/' he commanded, " and 
place it close to the sea." 

One of the men placed a chair not far from 
the water, and Canute sat down. 

The waves kept getting closer. Pretty soon 
they were almost at the king's feet. 

" Waves," cried Canute, " go back. Come 
no nearer. Do not dare to wet my robe or 
even my feet. My friends say I am king of 
the sea as well as of the land." 

Then Canute waited as if he thought the 
sea would obey him. 

The tide crept higher and higher. The 
waves did not hear him. The next big wave 
came all round the king's chair and washed 
over his feet. 

The king smiled. He left the chair in the 
water, and came back to the nobles on the 
sand. 

They hung their heads and looked foolish. 

" What! " cried the king, " will the waves 
not do as I bid them? My friends, call me 
a great king no longer. Only God is Lord of 

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the land and seas. He alone can say to the 
waves, ' Thus far shall ye come.' " 

Not long after this, Canute took off his 
crown and hung it up in the church. 

" I shall never wear it again," he quietly 
said to his friends. " When I am dead and 
gone, do not forget the lesson I taught you 
by the sea. God is king of all kings." 



43 



XI 

THE COMING OF THE NORMANS 

THERE was once a time, about nine 
hundred years ago, when neither a 
Dane nor an Englishman sat on the 
English throne. Instead, a Norman came 
from over the sea and was crowned king. 

Long before this time, the Northmen, or 
Normans, as they were later called, had 
crossed from Norway to France. 

At first they were much like the Danes in 
England. But they soon spoke the French 
language and learned French ways. They did 
not obey the French king, however, but had 
rulers of their own. They named their new 
home Normandy, that is, the land of the 
Northmen. Their rulers they called dukes. 

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At the time of this story their duke was a 
stern, restless man by the name of William. 

Now William of Normandy, or William 
the Conqueror, as he was afterwards called, 
was a great fighter, and liked to have his own 
way. He made up his mind to be king of 
England. 

Edward, the English king, of whom you 
have already heard, loved the French much 
better than he loved the English. He was 
now getting to be an old man, and he had no 
child to succeed him. It is said he told William 
of Normandy, who was his cousin, that he 
might be the next king. 

Edward had no right to make this promise. 
The English people had always chosen their 
own king; and no sooner had Edward died 
than they crowned Harold, son of Godwin, 
just as they said they should do. 

When the great Norman duke heard this, 
he began to raise an army. All the spring 
and summer his men were busy with their 
arms and ships. 

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William's wife made him a present of a 
fine new ship. At its prow was the golden 
figure of a boy with his finger pointing for- 
ward. The sails were of many colors. At the 
sides of the ship were bright flags that had 
been made by the ladies of the court. 

When all was ready, William went on board 
with his soldiers. A light was hung at the 
masthead of his ship, which was to lead the 
way for the others. 

Upon reaching England, Duke William 
hurried to land. In doing so his foot slipped, 
and he fell to the ground. 

" That is a bad sign," somebody said. 

" Not so," William answered. " It means 
that I take this land with both my hands and 
hold it for my own." 

When Harold received word that the Nor- 
mans had come, he was in the north of Eng- 
land. He got together as many men as he 
could, and hurried to London to meet the 
enemy. 

Harold's army was not so large as William's, 
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and many of his men were not soldiers at all. 
They had left their farms or their fishing to 
fight for their country. They were armed only 
with pitchforks or sharp poles. 

One of Harold's brothers, Gurth, was much 
troubled and begged him to delay the battle. 
" Harold, your men have had a long march, 
and are in no condition to fight." 

But Harold would not listen; the Normans 
were already robbing and killing, and winter 
was coming. 

" I have made up my mind to give battle 
at once," was his reply. " I feel sure we shall 
win." 

The English and the Normans drew nearer 
and nearer together, until one October eve- 
ning they lay facing each other. They all 
knew that on the morrow they were to fight 
the great battle for the throne of England. 



47 



XII 

THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS 

THE battle for the crown of England 
was fought at Hastings, about nine 
miles from the spot where William of 
Normandy landed. 

The night before the battle the English 
sat about their fires drinking and singing; 
the Normans spent the time in fasting and 
prayer. 

The fighting began early the next morning, 
before the east had begun to redden. 

On a hill in front of some deep woods the 
English were gathered with their shields and 
battle-axes round the golden banner of Eng- 
land. Across a little valley, on another hill, 
stood the Normans in three rows, archers, 
foot soldiers, and horsemen. 

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In front of William's army rode a proud 
knight, waving his sword and singing a war 
song. He struck the first blow and was the 
first Norman to fall. 

The archers then rushed forward and tried 
to break the English lines. But the English 
were behind their tall shields, and cared 
nothing for the arrows of the Normans. 

Then came the horsemen. But the English 
cut them down with their heavy axes. 

William's horse fell dead, and the duke 
sank to the ground. 

" The duke is killed! " cried one of the 
soldiers; and the word ran quickly from man 
to man. 

But William sprang to his feet and tore off 
his helmet, that all might see his face. 

" I am not dead! " he shouted. " And by 
God's help, I shall yet win the day." With 
that he struck down the king's brother Gurth 
at a single blow, and stretched another brother 
beside him. 

From that time on all went well with the 
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Normans. The great duke's voice rang out 
like a trumpet. 

" See those English, thousands of them, 
round their king firm as rocks. Shoot high, 
my men, that your arrows may fall into their 
faces." 

All the long day the battle raged. There 
were hoarse cries and groans. Everywhere 
were heaps of dead and dying. Brave King 
Harold was almost blind, pierced through the 
eye by an arrow. 

There was a red sunset, they say, like the 
terrible field so red with men's blood. Then 
the moon rose in all its glory, and in its sil- 
very light twenty Norman knights dashed to- 
ward the royal banner of England . 

The English crowded round their blinded 
king, covering him with their shields, and 
still fought fiercely. But in the thick of the 
conflict Harold fell, wounded to death. Then 
the English fled, and the battle was lost. 

William now pitched his tent among the 
dead and dying, and fell to feasting and 

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drinking. The English soldiers went slowly 
to and fro over the field looking for their king. 
They found him at last, lying close to the 
golden banner of England. 

On the ground where the brave Harold and 
the golden banner lay William of Normandy 
afterwards founded an abbey, called Battle 
Abbey. You may still find the spot, al- 
though for many a long year it has been 
nothing but a gray ruin, overgrown with ivy. 



51 



XIII 

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR 

YOU have just learned about the Battle 
of Hastings, and how the rule of 
England passed into the hands of 
the Normans. 

On Christmas Day in 1066 the great duke 
of Normandy was crowned king of England. 
He was called William the First. It was not 
a joyful day. Indeed, both king and people 
had an unhappy time of it. 

The nobles of Normandy and England had 
gone into that beautiful church in London 
called Westminster Abbey, where William 
was to be crowned. 

One of the bishops of the church now asked 
the Normans in French if they would have 

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William to be their king. They at once 
answered, " Yes." 

Then another bishop, who spoke English, 
asked the same question of the English. They 
also said yes, but they shouted so loud that 
the soldiers outside thought there was a 
quarrel, and set fire to some houses near by. 

Those in the church rushed out. William 
and the two bishops were left almost alone. 
The bishops put the crown on the king's 
head in a great hurry. 

William had sworn to rule justly; but like 
other kings before him he broke his word. 
Many Normans came over to live in England, 
and received land taken from the English. 
The more they received, the more they 
wanted. In a little while they became rich 
and powerful, while the English were poor and 
unhappy. 

Now William was fond of hunting. He 
was more at home in the lonely forest than in 
the palace. He loved to hunt the deer better 
than anything else in the world; but if an 

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Englishman killed a deer, William had his 
eyes put out, that he might never be able to 
hunt again. 

The king had already sixty-eight forests, 
and yet these were not enough. To make a 
new hunting ground, he drove hundreds of 
poor English out of their homes. Nor would 
he let any of them live here. This hunting 
ground was called the New Forest. 

These things filled the English with hatred 
for their Norman king. Although he was 
master of the land, he did not have the love 
of one true heart. He spoke to nobody, and 
nobody spoke to him. 

At last the English rose against him. 
By night they set fires blazing on the hill- 
tops, to call the people together, or to give 
warning that the king and his Norman army 
were near. They even got their old enemies 
the Danes to come over and help them. 

But the king had a clear, cool head as well 
as a strong arm. He bribed the Danes not to 
fight, and then punished the English without 

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mercy. For sixty miles to the north he swept 
the land of its people. 

A hundred years later the English were 
still telling stories of those mournful days 
when you could walk all the way from the 
river Humber to the Tyne without hearing 
the sound of man or beast. 

Finally, when nobody dared disobey him, 
the king brought in Norman dress and Norman 
customs. He made the English cover their 
fires and put out their lights every night when 
the curfew rang. The English were treated 
almost like slaves. Round their necks they 
wore collars with their Norman masters' 
names on them. 

One September morning, twenty-one years 
after he had been crowned king, William lay 
dying. His heart was heavy with the thought 
of the suffering he had caused. He died as 
he had lived, feared and unloved. When he 
was dead, they robbed him and fled from him. 
And his body was left lying on the floor. 

The Norman Conquest, as it is called, was 
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the most important single event in all the 
history of England. 

King William's rule was stern, but it 
brought peace and order. The Normans and 
the English at first bitterly hated each other, 
just as the Saxons and the Danes had done 
before them. But at last they became friends. 
After many years they spoke one language, and 
became one people. They were still called 
the English. 



56 



XIV 

THE RED KING 

WHEN William the Conqueror lay dy- 
ing, he made his will. To Robert, 
his oldest son, he gave his lands 
in France. Henry, his fourth son, called the 
Scholar, received five thousand pounds in 
silver money. William, the third son, was to 
have England. Richard, his second son, had 
been killed while hunting in the New Forest. 

Before his father was buried, or even his 
death was known in England, William Rufus, 
or the Red, as he was named from the color 
of his hair, hurried to London to sieze the 
money and jewels and be crowned king. 

There is not much good to be said about 
the Red King. Like his father, he had a bad 

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temper. He was very proud. And he was 
mean and selfish. 

He once made war on Robert, and tried 
to take Normandy from him, but soon made 
up with him. The two then turned against 
their brother Henry and took from him all 
that he had. 

Now the Red King liked to hunt in the New 
Forest. It had beautiful meadows and wood- 
lands, they say, where the birds sang, and the 
deer stopped to drink at the mossy pools. 
To the people it was always lonely. They 
believed it was cursed for the crimes done 
in it; and some thought that on dark nights 
evil spirits went about under the gloomy trees. 

You have just been told that William the 
Conqueror's son Richard lost his life in 
the New Forest. And now Robert's son, who 
was also named Richard, was found dead there. 

The people shook their heads. 

"Ah," they muttered, " another is to die 
in the Forest; this time it will be the Red 
King himself." 

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One August morning, William the Red and 
his court went hunting. Henry was with 
William, for they had made up their quarrel. 

They were in high spirits and went along 
shouting and cursing and riding fast. Pretty 
soon they broke up into parties. Some went 
one way, some another. The king took 
only one friend with him. 

Toward evening they came together again, 
but the king was not among them. 

" Where is the king? " 

" Has anybody seen the king? " 

" Do you suppose he has lost his way? " 

But nobody knew what had become of him. 

They turned back to look for their mas- 
ter. They rode this way and that, calling 
the name of the king. No answer came. 
It was now dark; and they did not know 
what to do. 

" Hark! Hear that dog howling; " and they 
hurried toward the sound. 

On the ground, with an arrow through his 
heart, lay the Red King. He was quite dead. 

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When they saw that he was really dead, 
they fled out of the Forest. 

The body of the king lay on the ground 
till it was found by some foresters. They 
took it in a cart to a church near by, and 
buried it. 

Nobody ever knew who shot the arrow. 
But William had been such a bad ruler 
that the people were not sorry when he was 
laid in his grave. 

Some parts of the Forest still remain, and 
it is still called the New Forest. Under one 
of the trees a stone cross marks the spot 
where the Red King fell. 



60 



XV 

HENRY THE FIRST AND THE WHITE SHIP 

WHAT do you think Henry the Scholar 
was doing while William Rufus was 
lying dead in the Forest? He was 
riding to London as fast as he could go, to 
seize the money and jewels, just as his 
brother William had done. His older brother, 
Robert, who had a better right to the crown, 
was on his way back from the Holy Land. 

Three days later, on Sunday, standing in 
Westminster Abbey, Henry swore to do right, 
and was crowned Henry the First. 

The people liked Henry very much better 
than they had liked his brothers, and were 
glad to see him made king. 

" He is not a Norman, but an Englishman," 
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they said hopefully; for Henry was born in 
England. 

After a time Robert got back to England 
and claimed the crown. He was taken by 
his brother and thrown into prison, where 
he died after twenty-eight years of captivity. 

Henry reigned for thirty-five years. He 
was fond of books and generous to men of 
learning. As a ruler he was stern but just. 
He is sometimes called the Lion of Justice. 

Now Henry had one son, of whom he was 
very proud. He was named William, after 
his grandfather, the Conqueror. 

Henry took Prince William to Normandy, 
and showed him the fine churches and castles 
which the Normans had built. He also had 
him meet the Norman nobles. 

" This is my son William," he would say 
to them. " When I am gone, he will be your 
duke." 

The Normans bowed low and said, " Long 
live Prince William." 

When Henry was about to sail for England, 
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a sea captain came up and begged to speak 
with him. 

" Sire," he began, " your father, Duke 
William, when he went to fight for the crown 
of England, sailed in my father's ship. Will 
you not let me take you across? I am cap- 
tain of the White Ship, and at the oars are 
fifty good sailors." 

"lam sorry, my good man; I have already 
chosen my ship; but my son and his friends 
shall go with you." 

Henry soon set sail, but the White Ship did 
not leave for several hours. 

There was a merry party of young nobles 
and beautiful young women on board the 
White Ship. Before they sailed, they sang 
and danced in the moonlight till late in the 
night; and they gave wine to the sailors, that 
they also might make merry. 

At last, when the moon was high, the White 
Ship started for England. There was hardly 
a sober man on board; but they must go, 
for the king's ship was already far out at sea. 

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" Pull hard, my men/' Prince William said 
to the rowers, " and you shall have both 
money and wine when we get to the other 
side." 

The sailors pulled harder. The White 
Ship flew through the water. All at once there 
was a crash, and the water came rushing in. 

The laughing and singing stopped, and a 
fearful cry went up that November night. 
The White Ship had struck a rock, and was 
going down. 

" Put off the little boat! " cried the cap- 
tain to Prince William. " The sea is smooth. 
You will get across. The rest of us must take 
our chances." 

When the prince had gone some distance, 
he heard his sister call for help. He went 
back for her, but so many leaped into the 
little boat that it was upset. At the same 
time the White Ship itself went down. 

Three days later, when the king was sitting 
with his nobles about him, a fair-haired boy, 
dressed in black, came in and knelt before him. 

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" Why do you weep, my child? " 

" Oh, sire, I weep because the White Ship 
is lost with all on board." 

The king fell to the floor as if dead. It 
is said he never smiled again. 

But the people did not mourn for the prince; 
they did not like him. 

" When I am king," he had said to his 
friends, " I will yoke the people to the plow, 
like oxen." 



65 



XVI 

HENRY SECOND, WHO DIED BROKEN-HEARTED 

HENRY the First, having lost his son 
in the White Ship, had no male heir 
to succeed him. He made the nobles 
swear that when he was gone they would 
crown Matilda, his daughter. But no sooner 
was he dead than Stephen, a grandson of 
William the Conqueror, claimed the throne, 
and had but little difficulty in obtaining it. 

He brought soldiers over from Europe to 
help him keep the crown, and he thought he 
should have no trouble. But many people 
helped Matilda. On one occasion Stephen 
was taken prisoner, and Matilda was made 
queen. 

For nineteen years they were quarrelling 
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and fighting. At last it was agreed that 
Stephen should keep the throne, but that 
after him it should go to Matilda's oldest 
son, Henry. 

Stephen died the very next year, and 
Matilda's son, who was then but twenty-one 
years old, was crowned Henry the Second. 

Henry the Second had a great deal of 
trouble with three of his sons, Henry, Richard, 
and Geoffrey. Time after time they tried 
to take his crown from him; time after time 
he forgave them. 

John, the youngest son, was his father's 
favorite. When the king was on his dying 
bed, he heard that this son also had been false 
to him. 

" Oh, John, child of my heart! Oh, John, 
whom I have loved the best, have you been 
untrue to me too? " And then he lay down 
with a groan, and said, " Now let the world 
go as it may, I care for nothing more." 

In a few days, the poor old man was dead. 
He died cursing the hour when he was born, 

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and cursing the children he was leaving be- 
hind him. 

When Richard heard that his father was 
dead, he recalled all that he had done to 
grieve him. He went to the church where 
the king's body was lying, and as he looked 
upon the white hair and the sad face, the 
tears ran down his cheeks. 

" Oh, father," he cried in his sorrow, 
" are you really dead? Can you not hear me? 
Can you not say that you forgive me? " 

King Henry the Second had ruled for 
thirty-five years. He was one of the richest 
and most powerful kings of his time. He was 
noted for his wisdom and his ability. He was 
fond of learning and of art ; and he had many 
fine churches built. He did much to make 
good laws, and to right the wrongs of the poor, 
who had been treated so cruelly by the nobles. 
But we are apt to forget all this and only 
think of him as the king who died of a broken 
heart. 



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XVII 

RICHARD THE LION HEART AND HIS MINSTREL 

WHEN King Henry the Second died, 
Richard came to the throne, for 
his two older brothers were dead. 
He was crowned Richard the First. 

Now Richard was very tall and very strong. 
He became the greatest fighter of all the kings 
of his time. He had a battle-ax that only he 
could use. The people were proud of him and 
called him Richard the Lion Heart. 

On one occasion he went with a great army 
to the Holy Land, to recover the country 
from the Turks. This was called a holy war, 
or crusade; that is, a war of the cross; and 
those who took part in it were called cru- 
saders. They wore a red cross on their arm. 
They also had a cross on their banners. 

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It was a long way to the Holy Land. 
King Richard was gone a year and a half. 
He had frequent battles with the Turks, and 
many of his soldiers were killed or wounded. 
The sun was hot too, and many of his men 
died of the fever. 

Richard himself fell ill. He had been so 
brave and so generous that the Turks admired 
him; and when he lay sick they sent him fruit 
and snow from the mountains to cool his 
fever and restore him to life. 

At last, when Richard and his soldiers 
came in sight of Jerusalem, they were so worn 
out that they could not take the city. But 
they were permitted to pass through the gates 
and visit the Holy Sepulcher. They then 
marched back to the sea, and sailed away 
for England. 

On the way back King Richard's ship 
was wrecked near Venice. He himself was 
taken prisoner while traveling through the 
country. 

For a long time he was shut up in a castle. 
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None of his people knew where he was. There 
he lay, far from home and friends. 

" I shall die here," he thought, " and never 
see England again." 

The king was fond of music. When he went 
on his long march to the Holy Land, he took 
with him his favorite minstrel, Blondel, to 
sing and play for him. Now that he was a 
prisoner, Blondel did not forget him. 

He took his harp and wandered in disguise 
from one place to another, hoping to find his 
master. 

One day he came to a castle in Austria 
where he had heard a famous captive was. 
He thought it must be the king. He tried to 
see him, but could not. He then stood be- 
neath the tower in which the prisoner was 
kept, and began a song that the king himself 
had composed. 

He had hardly sung the first stanza, when 
a low voice from the tower began the second 
stanza and sang it through. 

Blondel knew the voice well, for it was his 
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master's. He went quickly back to England 
to tell the people where the king was. 

This is a pretty story, although it may not 
be true. It is quite certain, however, that 
a large sum of money had to be paid to set 
the king free, and that he got back safe to 
England. 



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XVIII 

HOW KING RICHARD MET HIS DEATH 

YOU have been told that Richard the 
Lion Heart was fond of fighting. In 
one of his wars he took some land in 
France and built a strong castle on it. 

The king of France was angry, and sent 
a threat to Richard: " I will take that castle 
if its wall are of iron." 

Richard's answer was equally short and 
firm: " I will hold this castle if its walls are 
of butter." And he did hold it. 

Pretty soon Richard wished to get posses- 
sion of another castle; for he had been told 
that there was a great deal of gold in it. 
He tried hard to take it, but it held out 
against him. 

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One day he rode about the castle walls, 
and looked up at its great gate, which was 
shut and bolted fast. 

" I will take this place and hang everybody 
in it," he declared. 

Now an old song said that near this castle 
an arrow would be made by which the great 
King Richard was to die. 

On the very day that Richard went round 
the castle walls, a youth named Bertrand 
stood looking down from one of the windows. 

"Ah, there is the king," he muttered; and 
he repeated the words of the familiar song. 

He seized his bow and took steady aim, 
saying, " God speed thee well, arrow." 

The arrow struck Richard in the shoulder. 

At first they thought he was not badly 
hurt; but they soon knew that he could not 
recover. 

The castle was finally taken. All its in- 
mates were hanged except Bertrand. Rich- 
ard now sent for the youth, that he might 
question him. 

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" Knave! why didst thou try to kill me? 
What harm have I done thee? " 

" Thou hast killed my father and my two 
brothers. Myself thou wouldst have hanged. 
I wished to kill thee to rid the world of a 
wicked king." 

" Dost thou know that thou must die for 
this? " 

" I care not. Do as thou wilt with me; 
for thou too must die." 

Richard was a brave man himself, and 
liked to see others brave. " I forgive thee, 
youth," said the dying king; and turning to 
his friends he bade them take off his chains, 
give him some money, and set him free. 

Richard's men did not do as he had told 
them. They put Bertrand to death with 
much cruelty. But the last act of the king's 
life was generous and noble. 



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XIX 

ROBIN HOOD 

NOW in the days of King Richard the 
Lion Heart, or somewhat later, there 
lived in Sherwood Forest, in the mid- 
dle of England, a bold young outlaw named 
Robin Hood. He was the captain of a large 
band of robbers, who were known and feared 
far and wide. 

Robin Hood's men are said to have worn 
green coats. They had bows and arrows, 
and could shoot the swiftest deer, or bring 
down a bird on the wing. Not one of them, 
however, could shoot so far or so well as 
Robin Hood himself. His aim was so true, 
we are told, he could hit a mark no thicker 
than his finger two hundred yards away. 

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When Robin Hood and his Merry Men, 
as they were called, met a rich man in the 
forest, they stopped him and took his money. 
They did not think it was wrong to do so, 
for they said the rich had no right to have 
all the land. Sometimes the outlaws acted 
kindly by giving money to the poor. 

On one occasion a nobleman by the name 
of Sir Richard was out riding in the woods. 
Suddenly three men in green coats fell upon 
him. They took him to their leader. 

Robin Hood asked Sir Richard to sit down 
and take dinner with them. 

During the dinner Sir Richard said he 
was in trouble and did not know what to do. 
All his land had been taken from him. Unless 
he could pay four hundred pounds he could not 
get it back. And he did not have the money. 

Robin Hood gave him the money and let 
him go free. 

Another time a rich noble came riding 
through the woods. He had with him a large 
number of servants and horses. 

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The outlaw saw him passing, and told 
some of his band to shoot at the deer near by. 

" What are you doing? " cried the noble, 
in anger, when he saw them killing the deer; 
and he told his servants to fall upon them. 

Then Robin Hood blew three times on 
his horn. Out of every part of the wood 
ran the men in the green coats. 

"It is Robin Hood's band! " cried the 
servants, in great fear; and they fled and left 
their master alone. 

The noble thought at first that he was in 
luck, for they made a feast for him. When 
the dinner was over, however, Robin called 
on him to pay the bill. They took his money 
and all his fine dress, and made him dance. 
They then tied him to a tree and left him 
for his friends to find. 



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XX 

ROBIN HOOD'S LAST SHOT 

WHEN Robin Hood was growing old, 
and his strength began to fail, the 
English king sent a hundred of his 
best men against him. 

" Go to Robin Hood," said the king, 
" and tell him to give himself up, or else 
he and all his band shall be killed." 

The king's men reached the wood one 
lovely summer day. When they came near 
the place where the robbers were, their 
leader told them to stop, while he went to 
demand the surrender of Robin Hood. 

" So long as I have seven score brave arch- 
ers to do my bidding," answered the chief, " I 
shall never be ruled by a king. Tell your 
master this from me." 

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Of course there was a fight; but the king's 
men were driven out of the wood, and their 
leader was killed. 

Not long after, Robin Hood became ill. 
He went to the house of a woman whom he 
thought to be his friend. But she was false 
to him. She opened a vein in his arm, and 
left him in his room to bleed to death. 

The door of the room was locked, and the 
window was so high that he could not jump 
out. He was so weak that when he tried to 
blow a blast on his horn he could make only 
a faint sound. 

" But Little John heard him where he lay, 
Under the greenwood tree. 
' I fear my master is nigh to death, 
He bloweth so wearily.' " 

Now Little John was anything but little; he 
was one of the tallest and strongest of Robin 
Hood's men. He rushed to the house and 
broke the locks and dashed the doors open till 
he found the room where his master lay dying. 

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" String my bow/' said Robin Hood, " and 
I will shoot from the window. Let my grave 
be dug where the arrow falls. Lay a green 
sod under my head, and another at my feet; 
and at my side lay my bent bow." 

" And heap my grave with grass and green, 
As is most right and good, 
That men may say when I am dead, 
' There lies bold Robin Hood.' " 

The arrow that he shot from the window 
fell under a tree. And there, in the south of 
England, the chief of the Merry Men was laid 
to rest. 

The grave may still be seen. It is marked 
by a flat stone, carved with a flowery cross. 



81 



XXI 

KING JOHN AND THE MAGNA CHARTA 

UPON the death of Richard the Lion 
Heart, his brother John was made 
king. He made the worst ruler that 
ever sat on the English throne. 

After he had ruled some years, and done 
one bad thing after another, the barons of 
the country rose up against him, and said 
they must have their old laws again. They 
wrote the laws out, and added a good many 
more to them. Then they went to the king 
and asked him to sign his name to the 
paper. 

John would not sign, for he intended to 
keep all the power in his own hands. He 

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did not wish the lords or the poor people to 
have any freedom at all. He got angry, and 
made the barons leave him. This was at 
Christmas time. 

The barons went away. But at Easter 
they came again. This time they brought 
an army, and told the king he must sign the 
paper. 

John was again very angry, and exclaimed, 
" Why do they not ask for my kingdom? " 

He would not yield until he learned that 
out of all the horsemen in England only seven 
were on his side. Then he told the barons to 
meet him at a place near Windsor Castle. 
This was in June, 1215. 

The king came to one bank of the river 
Thames, and the barons came to the other 
bank. Then crossing to a little island in the 
middle of the river, they read the laws and 
talked them over. 

John was made to sign the Magna Charta, 
or Great Charter, as it was called. He wrote 
his name smiling, but in his heart he was mad 

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with rage. When he got back to Windsor, 
he was in such a passion that he threw himself 
on the floor. As for the laws, he broke them 
the first chance he got. 

But King John was not to live long. One 
day he and his army were crossing the quick- 
sands of a great bay on the east side of 
England. The tide came up suddenly and 
carried away his baggage and treasures, and 
almost drowned him and his soldiers. 

The king took this so much to heart that 
he ate and drank like a beast. He fell into 
a fever, and soon after died. The people 
were glad to know that their cruel king could 
no longer do them harm. 

We should all remember, however, that 
during the reign of the wicked King John the 
English people obtained the Great Charter, 
which not only this king was to obey, but all 
the kings of England after him. 

The Magna Charta was the foundation 
of English liberties. It gave rights to the 
church, to the barons, and to the people. It 

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promised to give liberty to the cities; to grant 
rights to foreign merchants; to put no man 
into prison without fair trial; to protect life 
and property; to grant justice to all. 



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XXII 



PRINCE ARTHUR 



THERE were people in the reign of 
King John who said that young 
Prince Arthur, then sixteen years 
old, ought to be king of England. 

Arthur was the son of John's elder brother, 
who was dead. Arthur's mother wished him 
to be king; and the king of France helped 
her to get an army to fight against John. 

It was of no use. Not only did she lose 
the battle, but Arthur himself fell into John's 
hands. 

The poor mother was thrown into great 
grief when she heard of it. " Ah, me! I fear 
I shall never see my Arthur again." 

She was quite right. King John shut the 
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young prince up in a castle in France, and 
Arthur never saw England again. 

The poor boy was sad enough, far away 
from his home and his friends. He found a 
friend, however, in his keeper, who was kind 
to him. This man's name was Hubert. 

One morning Hubert entered pale and sad. 

" Good morrow, Hubert." 

" Good morrow, little prince." 

" You are sad, Hubert." 

" Indeed, I have been merrier." 

" Mercy on me! Methinks nobody should 
be sad but I. And yet were I but out of 
prison and kept sheep, I should be as merry 
as the day is long. I should be happy even 
here, did I not fear that my uncle means more 
harm to me." 

Now Hubert had come with the order of 
King John to put out the eyes of the young 
prince. He knew that if he did not obey he 
should lose his own life. 

" Are you sick, Hubert? You look pale 
to-day. In sooth, I would you were a little 

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sick, that I might sit all night and watch 
with you ; I warrant I love you more than you 
do me." 

" Read here, young Arthur." 

" Must you with hot irons burn out both 
mine eyes? " 

" Young boy, I must." 

" And will you? " 

" And I will." 

" Have you the heart? Will you put out 
mine eyes? These eyes that never did nor 
ever shall so much as frown on you." 

" I have sworn to do it; and with hot irons 
must I burn them out." 

Hubert stamped ; the door opened, and two 
men came in. 

" ' 0, save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out 
Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men.' 
' Give me the iron, I say, and bind him here.' 
' Alas, what need you be so boisterous-rough? 
I will not struggle, I will stand stone-still. 
For heaven sake, Hubert, let me not be bound! 
Nay, hear me, Hubert, drive these men away, 
And I will sit as quiet as a lamb; 

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I will not stir, nor wince, nor speak a word, 
Nor look upon the iron angerly: 
Thrust but these men away, and I'll forgive you, 
Whatever torment you do put me to.' " 

Hubert felt such sorrow for the little prince 
that he sent the men away. 

When they were gone, Arthur begged to 
have his tongue cut out rather than to lose 
his eyes. 

" Sleep safe, little prince; I will not 
touch your eyes for all the treasure of your 
uncle." 

" Oh ; now you look like Hubert! All this 
while you were not yourself." 

Hubert's own life was now in danger. 
He went over to England in great fear. 
But he found that the people were rising 
against King John; for they thought he 
had caused young Arthur to be put to 
death. 

We know very little of the young prince 
after this. He did not live long, but nobody 
knows how he died. Some say that King 

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John went to the castle and killed him with 
his own hand. Others say that Arthur tried 
to escape, and in doing so fell from a high 
window and was killed. 



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XXIII 

KING EDWARD THE FIRST 

WHEN King John died, his little 
son Henry was crowned as Henry 
the Third. He turned out to be 
rash and weak. But his son, Edward the 
First, who succeeded him, was one of the 
greatest of English kings. He was a famous 
soldier and a wise ruler. He was wise in 
making over the old laws; he was also wise 
in making new laws. 

While Edward was still a prince, he went 
to the Holy Land to fight against the Turks. 
His wife, the gentle but brave Eleanor, 
went with him. 

Here he nearly lost his life. A Turk was 
sent into the English camp to give a letter 

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to the prince and stab him while he was 
reading it. 

It was a hot day, and Prince Edward was 
on his couch in his tent. 

The Turk came in and knelt before him 
with the letter. 

When Edward reached out his hand to 
take it, the man sprang at him. 

But the prince was too quick for him. 
He threw him to the ground and killed him 
with his own dagger. 

The danger, however, was not yet over; 
for there was poison on the dagger, and it 
had grazed the king's arm. 

It is said that Edward's noble wife put her 
lips to the cut and sucked the poison out. 

Prince Edward soon started back for Eng- 
land. When he reached Sicily, he received 
the news that his father, Henry the Third, was 
dead, and that he himself was king. 

He was in no hurry to reach England, 
however, for the country was at peace. 
When he returned, after about a year, he and 

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Eleanor were crowned at London, in West- 
minster Abbey, with much splendor. A great 
feast was made. Such eating and drinking 
and singing and ringing of bells the city had 
never witnessed before. 

We shall soon hear more about King 
Edward. The good and faithful Eleanor he 
loved dearly. When she died, her body was 
taken to London. At every spot where her 
body had rested on the way, he set up a 
stone cross, that her name might never be 
forgotten. 



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XXIV 

THE FIRST PRINCE OF WALES 

THE heir to the English crown is 
generally called the Prince of Wales. 
Wales is a hilly country in the 
western part of England. The people of 
Wales once spoke their own tongue, had their 
own prince, and made their own laws. Their 
life was wild and free. They did not like 
the English, and would have nothing to do 
with them. 

From time to time bands of Welshmen 
went and made war on the English who lived 
near. They burned their houses, stole their 
goods and their cattle, and often killed the 
people. 

Now Edward the First wanted to subdue 
the Welsh, and led an army against them. 

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When the Welsh heard of the coming of 
Longshanks, as Edward was sometimes 
called, they hid themselves among their hills. 
" Well," they said one to another, " Edward 
Longshanks cannot catch us here." 

But they were quite mistaken. The Eng- 
lish found them and defeated them. 

Five years later King Edward had to lead 
another army against them. This time he 
took their castles and lands. The Welsh 
prince was killed, and his brother David had 
to flee for his life. 

It is said that he had his horse's shoes put 
on backwards, to keep the English from 
finding out which way he fled; but the black- 
smith who shod the horse told the secret. 
David was taken prisoner and put to death. 

When the people knew that the two broth- 
ers were dead, they lost hope and received 
Edward as their king. But they were not 
content; they would much rather have had 
a ruler who could speak Welsh. 

They came to King Edward at a castle 
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in Wales to lay down their arms, and to say 
that they would obey him. 

" Only let us have a Welsh prince/' they 
added, " and we will be quiet and not fight 
the English any more." 

" You shall have your wish," said Edward. 
" I will let you have a prince who was born 
in your land. You will be content with him; 
he cannot speak a word of English." 

He bade them come to his castle on a 
certain day, promising to present their new 
Welsh prince to them. 

At last the day came, and the people were 
there. 

" Who will it be? Who will it be? " they 
were saying among themselves. 

Well, it was Edward's own little baby son 
Edward, who had been born in that castle 
a month before. 

The king held the tiny prince up for all 
the Welsh nobles to see, and said, " Look! 
here is your prince. He has been born among 
you, and he cannot speak a word of English." 

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The Welsh did not like the trick Edward had 
played on them; but they could not help them- 
selves, and took this baby as their future 
king. 

This baby boy was called Edward, Prince of 
Wales. The title has been in use ever since. 



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XXV 

ROBERT BRUCE 

MANY stories are told about Robert 
Bruce, the brave Scottish king, and 
how he fought against England to 
to keep his country free. 

At one time, when he was hiding from 
Edward the First, he bade his friends meet 
him at a certain farmhouse. 

When the Scottish chief, sad and lonely, 
reached the house, he found nobody there 
but an old woman, who sprang up and asked 
him who he was. 

" I am a man without a home; I am making 
my way through the country." 

" All travelers are welcome here for the 
sake of one," said the good dame. 

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" And who may he be? " the king asked, 
seating himself on a low stool at her side. 

" Robert Bruce, our rightful lord; and I 
hope to live to see him king over all Scot- 
land." 

" Since }^ou love him so well, good dame, 
you will be glad to see him. I am Robert 
Bruce." 

" You! Where are your men, then? Why 
are you alone? " 

" I have none with me just now, and so I 
must go on alone." 

" Nay, but that shall not be; I have two 
stout sons, brave and trusty men, and they 
shall be your servants for life and death." 

She called her sons and made them swear to 
be true to their king. 

Just then they heard shouts and the stamp- 
ing of horses. They feared the English were 
upon them. 

" Fight to the last, lads, for your brave 
king," said the good woman to her sons. 

But now a well-known sound struck Bruce's 
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ear. It was the voice of his friend, the good 
Lord James Douglas. 

The king hastened to the door and flung it 
open. There, in the court, was Douglas 
with Bruce's brother Edward and a hundred 
and fifty other Scots. 

At another time Bruce again lost his cour- 
age, and thought it impossible to keep Scot- 
land free. He had already fought six battles 
with the English, and lost them all. 

One day he went into a wretched hut to 
hide himself, and lay down on some straw 
to rest. While he lay there, he saw a spider 
hanging from one of the rafters. The little 
thing was trying to swing to another rafter. 
Six times it tried, but could not succeed. 
Then it stopped. Bruce thought it was not 
going to try any more. 

" That little spider is just like me. It has 
tried six times, and so have I. We have both 
lost heart." 

Just then the spider gave one more swing. 
This time it reached the other rafter. 

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The king sprang up and said, " My brave 
little friend, you have taught me a good lesson. 
I also will try again." 

At this time Edward the First was dead, 
and his son Edward, the first Prince of Wales, 
was king. He was called Edward the Second. 

Now this second Edward was a weak fellow. 
His father, when on his dying bed, had told 
him to keep on with the war. But he took 
all his army out of Scotland. The Scots soon 
got back most of their land, and even in- 
vaded England. 

At last came the greatest battle of all, 
the Battle of Bannockburn. 

Bruce's army was small, having only about 
one third as many men as Edward's. But 
his men did not lose heart. They dug pits 
in the field, and put sharp stakes in them. 
Then they covered the holes with turf. 

Before the battle began, Bruce went up 
and down in front of his army. He was 
mounted on a pony, and had no arms except 
a battle-ax. 

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One of the English lords was riding a great 
war horse. As soon as he saw Bruce, he made 
a dash at him. 

When the English lord was almost upon 
him, Bruce turned his pony sharply to one 
side. Then rising in his saddle, he dealt 
his enemy a blow with his battle-ax that 
cut through his helmet and split his head in 
two. 

" Look! " cried the English king, seeing the 
Scots kneel in prayer, " they ask for mercy." 

"Yes," replied one of his lords, " they ask 
for mercy, but not from you. Those men will 
win or die." 

The battle began. The English tried to 
break the Scottish ranks, but in vain. Thou- 
sands of men and horses soon lay dying on 
the field, but the fight went on. 

At sunset the English saw, on a little hill 
facing them, another body of men, with 
flags flying. They thought this was a second 
army. They lost hope, turned, and fled. 

It was not an army at all. It was only 
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a band of old men, women, and children 
with spears and flags in their hands. But 
it brought the great Battle of Bannockburn 
to an end. Bruce had won the day, and 
Scotland was forever free. 



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XXVI 

EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE 

THE two Edwards who fought against 
Robert Bruce were followed by an- 
other king named Edward. This was 
Edward the Third, son of Edward the Second. 
Edward the Third also had a son Edward, 
called the Black Prince. He wore black 
armor; that is perhaps how he got his name. 
When the Black Prince was sixteen years 
old, a war arose between the English and 
the French. A great battle was fought in 
France, near the village of Crecy. 

The English army was not half so large 
as that of the French. It was divided into 
three parts. The main division was com- 
manded by the young prince and several 
other brave knights. 

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King Edward himself did not go into the 
battle. He kept his men as a reserve on a 
little hill, where he could watch the field, and 
see what kind of leader his son would be. 

The fighting began. The French advanced 
rapidly. The English shot their arrows so 
fast and so thick that they fell like snowflakes. 
Many of the French were killed or wounded. 
The rest retreated a little, but soon came on 
again with great force against that part of 
the army led by the Black Prince. 

The English were now hard pressed. A 
knight went to the king and asked for aid. 

" Is my son dead, or hurt, or thrown to 
the ground? " asked Edward. 

" No, sire." 

" Say, then, to them that sent you, that 
they suffer the child to win his spurs, and let 
the day be his." 

The long summer evening deepened into 
twilight, and still the battle raged. The 
French were at last driven back. It was 
dark when the young prince and his army 

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returned from the pursuit. Fires were lighted 
to tell the king where they were. In the red 
glare of the light, and before the whole army, 
the king embraced his son. 

" Sweet boy," he said, " God give you good 
perseverance. You are my true son. Right 
loyally have you acquitted yourself this 
day, and worthy are you of a crown." 

But the young prince bowed to the ground, 
and gave all the honor to the king, his father. 

The next day, when father and son went 
over the field of battle, they found among the 
slain the blind king of Bohemia. On his 
helmet was a crest of three white ostrich 
feathers with the words " I serve." 

Edward told the boy to take the crest and 
keep it as a remembrance. 

The prince took it, saying it would help 
him to serve his king and his country. Ever 
since that time the Prince of Wales has worn 
as a badge three ostrich feathers with the 
motto " I serve." 

This was the famous Battle of Crecy. 
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Eight years later, the Black Prince won 
another battle in France. This time the 
French king himself was taken prisoner. 

The prince went forth to meet him, and 
showed him great kindness. He invited him 
to supper in his tent, and waited on him at 
table. The king begged the prince to sit 
down with him, but he refused, saying it 
was not right to seat himself at the table of 
one so great and so brave. 

When the prince and his army went back 
to England, King Edward and the people of 
London gathered to see them enter the 
city. 

At the head of the army was a man mounted 
on a tall white horse. He looked more stately 
than any of the others. By his side, on a 
pony, rode a man in black armor. The first 
was King John of France. The second was 
the Black Prince. 

It seems a pity that the Black Prince did 
not live to become king. He died at the age 
of forty-six. He was buried in Canterbury 

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Cathedral, which was believed at that time 
to be the most sacred spot in England. 

There he rests in all his glory. He lies in 
full armor, with his head reclining on his hel- 
met. His feet bear the likeness of the spurs 
he won at Crecy. His hands are joined in 
prayer, even as he died. 

Near his tomb may be seen the ostrich 
feathers from Crecy, with that famous motto 
" I serve," while high above hangs the black 
armor in which he won so many battles. 

The English people mourned him deeply; 
for he was one of the greatest and one of the 
most loved princes they had ever had. 



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XXVII 

THE BRAVE MEN OF CALAIS 

SOON after the famous Battle of Crecy, 
Edward the Third marched against 
Calais, a walled city in the north of 
France. He did not try to take the town by 
storm. He simply put his army about it, 
and kept watch night and day to prevent 
anybody from going in or coming out. He 
meant to starve the people into submission. 

Now the city was full of men, women, 
and children, and there was not much to 
eat. Day after day their supply of food 
became less and less. The brave people 
would not give up, for they hoped that help 
would come. 

Thus nearly a year went by. By this time 
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they were in great want. But rather than 
surrender, they ate horses, and then dogs, 
cats, and rats. 

At last there was nothing left. They sent 
word to the English king that they would give 
up the city, and begged him for mercy. 

" If the people are to be spared," was 
Edward's reply, " let six men come out to me 
with their feet bare, and with ropes round 
their necks; and let them bring with them the 
keys of the city." 

The news was carried back into the city; 
and the great church bell was rung to call 
the people together. When they heard the 
king's demands, they were in great distress, 
and did not know what to do. 

Finally one of the most worthy men in all 
the city arose and said: " My friends, it 
would be a great pity to let the people die, 
either by hunger or by the sword. The men 
who save them will do a good deed. I will 
be one of the six." 

Five others sprang to their feet and said 
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they would go with him; and the six brave 
men went out to the English king. 

Edward stood waiting. Gathered round 
him were his nobles and the good Queen 
Philippa. 

The men were led before him, with their 
feet bare and with ropes round their necks. 

" Hang them! " " Hang them! " some 
cried out; but others pitied them. 

The men knelt before the king, and their 
leader said: " Great king, we bring you the 
keys of the city. We give ourselves up to 
you, and pray for mercy. We wish to save 
the people, who have had much to bear." 

But Edward was angry and would not hear 
what they had to say. He turned from them 
and ordered that they be taken away at once 
and their heads cut off. 

His nobles now began to beg him to have 
pity. 

" Gentle sire, you have far and wide a name 
for goodness. Do not act in this cruel way." 

The king turned in anger. " Hold your 
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peace; it must be so. They have killed so 
many of my men that they themselves shall 
die." 

All hope seemed lost. The six men made 
ready to die. But the good queen had been 
listening with tears in her eyes. She now 
threw herself at King Edward's feet. 

" Gentle king," she began, " I have never 
asked you for any gift. Now I have one thing to 
beg of you. Grant me the lives of these men." 

When Edward saw his queen before him 
in tears, his heart was touched. 

" Gentle lady, I wish you had not been 
here. You ask so sweetly, I cannot say nay. 
I act against my will. But take them. They 
are yours." 

He then gave into her hands the ropes 
that were round the men's necks. The queen 
took the men with her, gave then clothing 
and food, and sent them back to their people. 

And thus, for Queen Philippa's sake, the 
six brave men of Calais and all in the city 
were saved. 

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It was not long after this, however, that 
King Edward took this city of Calais. It 
remained in the power of England for more 
than two hundred years. 



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XXVIII 

PRINCE HAL 

WHEN Edward the Third died, the 
Black Prince's son Richard became 
king, with the title of Richard the 
Second. He was very unlike his noble father, 
and made a weak ruler. Finally he gave up 
the crown to his cousin Henry, who was 
crowned Henry the Fourth. This was about 
five hundred years ago. 

Now Henry the Fourth had a son, the 
Prince of Wales. The people called him 
Prince Hal, and sometimes Madcap Harry. 
We read all sorts of stories about this prince. 
He was brave in battle. But when he was 
not fighting, he gave himself up to all the 
vices and follies of the day. He spent most 
of his time with his friends, who were as wild 
and idle as himself. 

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Prince Hal and his friends liked to play 
being robbers. They would stop coaches 
on the road to London and rob the travelers. 
But the prince took care that the money was 
given back, for he did not really wish to be 
an outlaw. 

One day one of his friends was caught 
doing wrong, and taken to be tried. The judge 
said he must go to prison. 

The prince became angry, and is said to 
have struck the judge in the face. He drew 
his sword, also, and told him to set the man 
free. 

But the judge cared more for doing his 
duty than for what the Prince of Wales said. 
He ordered Prince Hal also to be sent to jail. 
The prince did not refuse, nor did he say a 
word against the judge. 

When King Henry was told of it, he said, 
" I am happy in having a judge who knows 
how to lay down the law, and a son who 
knows how to obey it." 

As you may well fancy, it made King Henry 
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sad to have such a son. He tried in vain to 
get him away from his wild friends, and to 
make him lead a better life. 

At last the king fell ill. They thought he 
was going to die, and sent in great haste for 
the Prince of Wales. 

When the prince came and saw his father 
lying there so still, with his eyes closed, he 
was sorry that he had not been a better son. 

" Perhaps my father will never speak to 
me again; and he will not know how I regret 
the past." 

He sat down by the bed, and for a while 
his heart was heavy. After a time his eyes 
caught sight of the crown, which was lying 
on a cushion by the bed. 

" That crown may soon be mine," he said 
to himself; " if my father does not wake, I 
shall be king of England." 

Without further thought he carried the 
crown from the room to try it on his own head. 

But the king was not dead. When he 
awoke, he asked who had taken the crown 

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away; and he was made very unhappy by 
what his son had done. 

" Harry, Harry! " he cried, when the prince 
returned the crown. " Can you not wait 
till I am gone? " 

The prince fell on his knees and begged 
his father to forgive him, saying that he 
thought him dead. 

" Ah, Harry, thy wish was father to that 
thought. Thou art indeed in great haste 
to wear the crown." 

In a short time his father died, and Prince 
Hal became King Henry the Fifth. 

The good old judge who had sent the prince 
to jail thought it would now be his own turn 
to be put in prison. He was not surprised 
when the new king sent for him. 

" My country has need of a judge like you," 
said the young king. " I have only to tell 
you to act as justly to others as you did to me." 

Henry sent for his friends, also, and told 
them he was going to lead a different life. 
He begged them to do as he hoped to do. 

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He gave up his wild ways. He called to 
his court the wisest and best men in the land. 
And he became a brave, wise, and generous 
ruler. 

He died when he was only thirty-four 
years old. His death was a great loss to his 
people. 



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XXIX 

HOW HENRY THE SIXTH LOST HIS CROWN 

WHAT a sweet flower the rose is! 
It is the flower the English love 
best. There was once a time when 
some of the English loved the white rose 
best, and others the red rose. 

About five hundred years ago, two English 
noblemen became very angry at each other 
and quarreled. According to Shakespeare, 
the quarrel took place in the Temple Garden, 
in London. 

One of the men, the Duke of York, picked 
a white rose from a bush and cried, 

" Let him that is a true-born gentleman, 
And stands upon the honour of his birth, 
If he suppose that I have pleaded truth, 
From off this brier pluck a white rose with me." 

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Then the other nobleman, the Duke of 
Somerset, of the House of Lancaster, tore 
a red rose from a bush, and answered, 

" Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer, 
But dare maintain the party of the truth, 
Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me." 

The other nobles took sides, and one of 
them said, 

" And here I prophesy, — this brawl to-day, 
Grown to this faction in the Temple garden, 
Shall send, between the red rose and the white, 
A thousand souls to death and deadly night." 

The king of England at this time was Henry 
the Sixth, son of Henry the Fifth. 

The new ruler was only a year old when his 
father died. By the time he reached manhood 
his nobles had become lawless, greedy, and 
cruel. They quarreled with each other for 
power, and the young king was not wise 
enough or strong enough to stop them. 

From the quarrel in the Temple Garden 
arose between the house of York and the 

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house of Lancaster a terrible struggle for 
the crown. This strife was called the Wars 
of the Roses. It was a sad and bitter time. 
The Wars lasted about thirty years, and many 
brave soldiers and noblemen lost their lives. 

King Henry and Queen Margaret fought on 
the side of the Red Rose. Henry was finally 
taken prisoner and thrown into the Tower 
of London. But Margaret, who was as brave 
as she was noble, continued the struggle; 
for she wanted to save the crown for their 
young son Edward. 

One of the battles was fought at the 
village of Hexham, in the north of England. 
In this battle the Red Rose was defeated, and 
the queen had to flee for her life. Taking 
Edward with her, she went into a forest 
near by, and tried to hide. Here she fell into 
the hands of robbers. They took her rings and 
other jewelry, and treated her badly. While 
they were quarreling over the booty, the queen 
and the young prince escaped and went deeper 
into the forest. 

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At last Margaret sank to the earth, worn 
out by hunger, weariness, and fright. 

Pretty soon she saw a robber coming 
toward her with a drawn sword. She rose, 
and starting to meet him, said, " Here, my 
friend, I put in your care the safety of the 
king's son." 

The robber was touched with pity. He 
took the little prince in his arms and carried 
him through the thick wood to his cave. 
Here he gave them food and shelter. And he 
kept them until they were able to escape to 
France. 

Several years later Margaret came back 
to England to fight for her son, Prince 
Edward, but she did not succeed. Her army 
was beaten, and she herself was taken prisoner 
and shut up in the Tower. 

Thus the White Rose defeated the Red 
Rose, and poor Henry the Sixth lost his 
crown. He died in the Tower. Most likely 
he was put to death. The White Rose put 
a new king on the throne, Edward the Fourth. 

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Margaret's son Edward was killed by the 
brothers of the new king. 

Queen Margaret finally returned to France, 
where she died. The king of France paid a 
large sum of money to have her set free 
from the Tower of London, where she had 
been a prisoner for five years. 

Some day you may go to England. If you 
do, you will wish to go to Hexham to see the 
robber's cave. The people still call it Queen 
Margaret's Cave. 



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XXX 

THE TWO PRINCES IN THE TOWER 

NOW in my last story I told you that 
the White Rose won the victory over 
the Red Rose, and put Edward the 
Fourth on the throne. 

Edward the Fourth had two sons, Edward 
and Richard. When the king died, Prince 
Edward was only twelve years old; and his 
uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made 
protector until the boy should be of age. 

This Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was a 
daring and wicked man. He wanted to get 
rid of the two young princes, and secure the 
crown for himself. The boys feared him, 
and with good reason, as we shall see. 

" Tell me, Uncle Richard, where shall I 
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live until the day I am made king? " asked 
Edward. 

" Oh, where you please; but if you do as 
I wish, you will stay in the Tower." 

" I do not like the Tower." 

But it made little difference to the uncle 
whether Edward liked the Tower or not. 
He took the young prince and shut him up 
there. And not long after this he took little 
Richard and shut him up with him. 

He did this, he said, because the princes 
were too young to take care of themselves, 
and would be safer in the Tower than any- 
where else. 

After a while this wicked man won some of 
the people to his side. They said they did 
not want a boy for a ruler, and asked the 
duke to be king. Thus Richard of Gloucester 
took the throne, and was crowned Richard 
the Third. 

The two little princes were kept in the 
Tower. They passed many unhappy days. 
They could not leave their room, for the door 

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was locked and bolted; and the one little 
window was so narrow and so high from the 
floor that it was impossible to see out. 

If the younger boy cried, his brother would 
say, " Do not cry. Perhaps Uncle Richard 
will send and take us out to-morrow." 

And when night came, they lay down to- 
gether in their bed, saying to each other, 
" We shall get out to-morrow. We shall get 
out to-morrow." 

Of course the new king did not feel very 
safe. He knew that Edward and Richard had 
many friends; and he decided to have the 
princes put to death. 

Not long after, in the middle of the night, 
two men with evil faces crept up the stairs 
to the room where the princes were sleeping. 
They softly opened the door, and slipped in 
without being observed. 

The two boys were fast asleep, with their 
arms round each other's neck. Perhaps they 
were dreaming of the happy to-morrow. 

The men had no pity. With the pillows 
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and bedclothes they smothered the brothers 
in their bed. Then they took their bodies 
and buried them in the Tower. 

Many years later some bones were found 
under one of the staircases. These bones 
are believed to be those of the two young 
princes. 

There are a good many smaller towers 
which form the great Tower of London. 
Each has its own name. The tower in which 
Edward and Richard were murdered is called 
the Bloody Tower. 

When the people heard what the king had 
done, they were aroused to action, and took 
up arms against him. A battle was fought 
at Bosworth Field. Many whom Richard 
thought to be his friends deserted him, and 
he was slain in the thick of the fight. 

This battle ended the Wars of the Roses. 
It was the Red Rose this time that was vic- 
torious over the White Rose. Before they left 
the battlefield, they crowned Henry Tudor 
as Henry the Seventh. This new king was 

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of the house of Lancaster. He united the 
Roses by marrying Elizabeth of the house of 
York, who was the sister of the two princes 
murdered in the Tower. 



128 



XXXI 

A QUEEN FOR TEN DAYS 

INHERE is a later story of the old Lon- 
don Tower which is quite as sad as 
that of the two young princes. It is 
about a girl who was queen of England for 
only ten days. 

This girl was the fair and gentle Lady Jane 
Grey, a great-granddaughter of Henry the 
Seventh, who was crowned king at Bosworth 
Field. She loved music, and could sing and 
play well. She did needlework that was al- 
most perfect. And she was fonder of study 
than most ladies of her time; for she could 
speak and write not only French and Italian, 
but also Latin and Greek. 

Her tutor in the classical languages was 
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Roger Ascham, a fine Greek scholar. One 
day when he was going to see her, and was 
walking through the park to the castle, he 
he saw a party of lords and ladies out hunt- 
ing. Lady Jane was not among them. He 
found her in her room reading Plato. She 
told him that she was far happier at home 
with her books and her music than she should 
be with the hounds in the woods. 

But Lady Jane Grey was called away from 
this quiet, happy life. Edward the Sixth, 
who was king at this time, had just died, 
without leaving any children. In his will 
he gave the crown to Lady Jane, his cousin, 
instead of to his sister Mary. 

Poor Lady Jane begged to be left in peace. 
She said she did not want to be queen. She 
wished to lead a quiet life, with her friends and 
her books. And she knew that Mary, daughter 
of Henry the Eighth, had a better right to be 
crowned than she. 

Lord Dudley, however, to whom Lady 
Jane had been recently married, wished her 

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to accept the crown; for he knew that he 
should then have greater power. Her father 
and her mother, too, said she had no right to 
refuse. 

At last she gave in to her friends and was 
made queen. She was taken to the Tower, 
where for a few days she was treated with 
royal honors. 

Poor Lady Jane never saw another happy 
hour. The people knew how good she was, 
but they said it was not right to take the crown 
from Mary. Besides, they did not want to 
be ruled by Lady Jane's friends, for Lady 
Jane was not old enough to rule without help. 
They took Mary to London and crowned her, 
and Lady Jane Grey's reign of ten days was 
over. 

A few months after Mary became queen, a 
plot was formed to take the crown from her 
and give it to her younger sister Elizabeth. 
As a result, more than a hundred people 
were tried and put to death. The innocent 
Lady Jane and her husband were also con- 

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demned to die, and Mary signed the death 
warrant. 

And so Lady Jane Grey went again to the 
Tower of London, this time as a prisoner. 
She never left it again. 

One sad day this sweet, attractive girl, 
not yet seventeen years old, was led out to 
the green within the Tower walls to meet her 
fate. She went to the scaffold with quiet 
courage and dignity. 

Many people had died there by the ax, 
but none more lovable, more gentle, or more 
harmless than Lady Jane Grey. She was 
greatly to be pitied; she was so pure and so 
good, and she died so young. 

If you ever visit the Tower of London, 
you will find in one of the rooms the name 
Jane cut into the stone wall. It remains there 
a sad reminder of the young girl who was 
queen of England for only ten days. 



132 



XXXII 

SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

OUEEN MARY, the cousin of Lady Jane 
Grey, reigned for only five years. 
She was succeeded by her half-sister, 
Elizabeth, who was the younger daughter 
of Henry the Eighth, and granddaughter of 
Henry the Seventh, of whom you have already 
heard. 

Elizabeth wore the crown for almost forty- 
five years. Her reign was made famous by the 
great sailors, and statesmen, and scholars who 
lived in it. It was also an age of great literary 
splendor. Spenser and Bacon lived at this 
time, and Shakespeare wrote his immortal 
plays. 

One day Queen Elizabeth was leaving the 
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palace at Greenwich to take passage in her 
boat on the Thames. The royal barge was 
lying at the foot of the great stairway that 
led down to the river. The boat was gaily 
decked out, and at the oars were boatmen 
clad in rich dress. The path from the palace 
to the river was guarded by the tallest, 
finest soldiers that England could boast. 

And now, amid a company of lords and 
ladies, the queen appeared, leaning on the 
arm of one of her nobles. 

Among the eager crowd that pressed for- 
ward to see her was a youth of handsome 
and noble face. He was richly dressed, and 
from his shoulder hung a costly red-velvet 
cloak. 

This young cavalier stepped so far out from 
the others that the queen's eyes fell full upon 
him. She was surprised, but she showed no 
displeasure at his gaze of admiration. 

It had rained the night before. The place 
where the youth stood was muddy, and 
stopped the queen's progress. 

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The young Walter Raleigh, for you will 
guess it was he, at once drew his cloak from 
his shoulder and spread it out for her to walk 
on. At the same time he bowed reverently 
before her, while a deep blush covered his 
face. 

The queen also blushed. She rewarded 
him with a smile, and passed on. 

Now Elizabeth was much pleased at what 
Raleigh did. She inquired after him, and had 
him brought to court. Afterwards she made 
him captain of the guard, and gave him a 
large tract of land in Ireland. She also 
gave him a title. He was no longer merely 
Walter Raleigh, but Sir Walter Raleigh. 

After leaving Oxford, where he had been 
a student for a short time, Raleigh had gone 
to France as a soldier, and proved himself 
a brave man. Still later he fought in Ireland 
and in Holland. 

Not long after this he sailed for America, 
to plant an English colony; but he had to 
return without reaching land. He after- 

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wards sent other expeditions to America. 
One of these expeditions began a colony on 
Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now 
North Carolina. His ships are said to have 
been the first to carry potatoes and tobacco 
to England. 

But although Sir Walter did so well in 
early life, he was not so fortunate later. 
On one occasion he offended the queen, and 
was shut up in the Tower. For this offence, 
however, he was soon set free. 

When James the First was king, Raleigh 
was accused of plotting against him, and was 
again sent to the Tower. This time he was 
kept in prison thirteen long years. But he 
did not idle his time away. He had become 
famous as a soldier and a sailor, and he now 
won fame for himself with his pen, by writing 
his " History of the World." 

At last King James set him free long enough 
to go to South America to point out a gold 
mine which he claimed he had found. The 
expedition was a failure. On his return to 

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England the old charge was again brought 
against him, and he was condemned to die. 

When the appointed time came, many 
people gathered to see him. Some could 
remember the famous deeds he had done in 
the days of Queen Elizabeth. Others shed 
tears when they saw the brave old soldier 
led forth. 

One bald-headed old man asked him for 
a keepsake. 

Raleigh took off his rich velvet cap and 
threw it to the man. 

" There, my friend," he added, " take that, 
and wear it for my sake; for thou hast more 
need of it than I." 

When he came to the spot where he was 
to die, his courage did not leave him. He 
looked at the man with the ax, and asked him 
why he was trembling. He then took the ax 
and laid his ringer on its keen edge. 

" My friends," he said, turning to the 
people with a smile, " this is a sharp medicine, 
but it will cure all diseases." 

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He bent over and laid his head on the 
block, but the man with the ax hesitated. 

" What dost thou fear? " he cried. " Strike, 
man! " 

The ax came down, and Walter Raleigh 
was no more. 



138 



XXXIII 

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS 

THERE was another Queen Mary of 
whom I wish to tell you. She was 
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, the 
most beautiful and charming princess of her 
time. She was a great-granddaughter of 
Henry the Seventh, as was Lady Jane Grey, 
and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth of England. 

When Mary was six years old, she was 
sent to France to be educated. She spent ten 
years at court, and received her training in 
the king's household. 

At the age of sixteen she was married with 
great splendor to the son of the French king. 
A year later the king died, and her young 
husband was called to the throne. She thus 
became queen of France. 

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In less than three years after her marriage 
her husband also died, and Mary went back 
to Scotland, her native land. 

It is not strange that the girl queen 
wept when the ship left France, for she was 
leaving her happy life behind her. She sat 
on the deck all night, thinking that in the 
early morning she might see once more the 
land she loved. At the end of her voyage her 
tears flowed again, for she saw how rude and 
poor Scotland was, and how different from 
the land across the sea. 

Soon after her return to Scotland the 
beautiful young queen married her cousin, 
the handsome but worthless Lord Darnley. 
A son was born to them, whom they called 
James. 

Not long afterwards, Lord Darnley fell ill. 
Some believe he was poisoned. Others think 
he had the smallpox. He was cared for in a 
house outside of Edinburgh, and away from 
the castle. 

One evening the queen visited him as 
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usual, and then went to a ball at the palace. 
That same night the house in which Darnley 
lay was blown up. Darnley's lifeless body was 
found in the garden. 

It was believed that Lord Bothwell helped 
in this murder, and that Mary herself knew 
of the plot. No wonder the people were 
angry when she married Bothwell, only four 
months after he had killed her husband ! 

Thus it came about that Mary Queen of 
Scots lost the love of her people. They would 
not allow her to rule any longer, but gave 
the crown to her young son, who was hardly 
more than a year old. 

As for the queen herself, the nobles took 
her and put her in prison in a castle on a 
lonely little island in Loch Leven. 

Here she had a keeper who showed her no 
pity. But her cleverness and her beauty 
soon made a friend for her in the keeper's 
brother. He tried to set her free, but failed, 
and was sent away from the island. 

Even then he did not give up trying to 
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get Mary out of her prison. He aided her 
through a kinsman of his, known as Little 
Douglas, who was a page in the castle. 
Douglas was about twelve years old. 

Every night it was the duty of young Doug- 
las to bring in the keys of the castle and lay 
them on the supper table beside the keeper. 

One Sunday evening, when the lad was 
serving his master, he dropped a napkin on 
the keys. In lifting the napkin he lifted the 
keys with it. He then slipped out and went 
to Mary's room, in the round tower. 

The queen and her maid had put on men's 
dress, and were expecting him; and now the 
three went down the winding stairway, and 
walked boldly through the main hall, which 
was filled with guests. The queen carried a 
jug on her shoulder. Her maid had a basket 
of bread on her head. Once outside, they went 
toward the great door. Several men were 
standing about, but there was little light, 
and they passed through in safety. Douglas 
was careful to lock the door behind them. 

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A small boat was waiting for them close by. 
They jumped in and started for the shore. 
They were hailed and fired at from the terrace 
of the castle, but they did not stop. The 
keys of the castle they threw into the 
lake. 

Friends were ready to meet them when 
they landed. A swift horse was at hand for 
the queen, and she rode quickly away to the 
west of Scotland. Before the end of the week 
she was at the head of a small army, marching 
against the nobles who had taken the crown 
from her. 

The young queen was easily defeated, and 
had to flee. In spite of the advice of her 
friends she went to England, hoping to get 
aid from her cousin Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth disliked and feared the Queen of 
Scots, thinking her a dangerous rival for the 
crown of England. She believed, also, that 
Mary had a hand in the murder of Lord 
Darnley. She at once ordered her to be put 
in prison. 

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For the next nineteen years, first in one 
castle and then in another, Queen Mary was 
kept a prisoner. She made plans to escape, 
but they all failed. She managed, however, 
in one way or another, to exchange letters 
with her friends. Although her plans came to 
nothing, they caused much alarm. Many 
really believed that Elizabeth would be in 
danger as long as Mary lived. 

At last they discovered a plot to kill Queen 
Elizabeth and place Mary on her throne. 
Those who took part in it were put to death. 
Mary was tried. She said she only wished 
to be free. But her judges thought her 
guilty and said she must die. Queen Eliza- 
beth finally signed the warrant for her death. 

One February afternoon the death warrant 
was taken to the unhappy and unfortunate 
queen, and read to her. She was told to 
prepare to die on the following morning. 

She took her supper with her attendants, 
and bade them good-by. She left presents 
for all of them. It was past midnight 

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before she lay down to rest. After a few 
hours' sleep she arose and made ready for the 
end. 

A few minutes after eight o'clock in the 
morning the marshal and the sheriff went to 
her apartments and found her dressed in all 
her splendor. A gold crucifix hung on her 
neck. In her hand she held another made of 
ivory. At her belt was a prayerbook. 

Taking the arm of an officer, she passed 
down the stairway to the large hall, where the 
scaffold stood. About three hundred persons 
were there to witness the scene. 

The warrant was again read, and the queen 
prepared for the last act. She knelt on the 
cushion by the block, and allowed one of her 
ladies to take a handkerchief and bind her 
eyes. Then she repeated in Latin the Psalm 
" In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust." 

When she had finished, she put out her 
hand to find the block. With the crucifix and 
the prayerbook in her hands she laid her 
head down with the dignity of a queen. 

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Her last words were also in Latin, " Into 
thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." 

The scene had been too much even for the 
headsman. He had to strike twice before 
his task was finished. 

Mary's little dog had followed her without 
being seen, and was found cowering under 
the folds of her dress. On being discovered 
it gave a cry and seated itself by her dead body. 

Mary Queen of Scots was buried in the 
cathedral at Peterborough. When her son 
James came to the English throne, he had 
the body removed to Westminster Abbey. 

This unhappy and unfortunate woman had 
for many years kept the people of England 
in a state of unrest. The news of her death 
was received with great rejoicing. We are 
told that in London the people marched 
through the streets, making bonfires and 
singing psalms in every lane of the city. 



146 



XXXIV 



SIR PHILIP SIDNEY 



NOT long ago I told you that in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth lived many 
great men. They sailed over the 
ocean, and discovered new lands. They led 
the queen's armies and won many battles in 
foreign countries. And they gave peace to 
the English people at home. 

Among the wise men at Elizabeth's court 
was the gifted Sir Philip Sidney. He was a 
statesman, a soldier, and a poet. He was so 
brave, so gentle, and so good that all who 
knew him loved him; and he was called the 
darling of the court. The queen used to 
speak of him as the jewel of her kingdom. 

Once there was war going on in Holland, 
against Philip the Second of Spain. To aid 

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in the struggle against this powerful king, 
Elizabeth sent an army across the sea. 
Sidney went with it. 

In one of the battles Sidney's horse was 
killed. 

" Another horse! " he cried, and went on 
fighting. 

Soon a musket ball hit him in the thigh, and 
he had to retire. While they were taking 
him from the field, he suffered great pain. 
The fever parched his throat. He asked for 
a drink of water; but none was at hand. 

At last one of his servants found a bottle 
of water. 

Sidney had lifted the water to his mouth 
when his eyes fell on a wounded soldier lying 
near him. 

The poor fellow could not speak, but he 
looked with great longing at the water. 

Without so much as tasting the water, 
Sidney handed it to the dying man. 

" Here, my poor fellow! Thy need is yet 
greater than mine." 

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Sir Philip never saw his native land again; 
for he died of his wound. His death caused 
the English people great grief. His body 
was brought back to England. It lay for 
some time in state, and was then buried 
with much honor in Saint Paul's Cathedral. 

The people mourned for him throughout 
the land. Many verses were written in his 
memory. The great poet Spenser wrote of 
him as a dear friend who was lost- 
Sidney had not reached his thirty-third 
year. The English are proud of what he did 
in his short life. They love him most for 
the great purity and the great beauty of his 
character; they love him for such kind and 
noble acts as that shown to the wounded 
soldier on the battlefield. 



149 



XXXV 

THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA 

YOU will remember that Sir Philip Sidney 
lost his life fighting against Philip 
the Second of Spain. Philip was at 
that time the richest and the most powerful 
king of Europe. 

Now Philip the Second had married his 
cousin, Queen Mary of England, who was 
Elizabeth's half-sister. After Mary's death 
he wished to marry Queen Elizabeth. 

For a time Philip and the English queen 

seemed to be friendly to each other. At last, 

however, they became open enemies. Philip 

now made up his mind to conquer England. 

The Spanish king got ready a great army 

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and a large number of warships. The people 
of Spain called the fleet the Invincible Ar- 
mada, for they thought it could not be 
beaten. 

Long before this the English had heard 
that the Spaniards were likely to come, and 
made ready to meet them. The towns sent 
men and money. From the seaports came 
ships and sailors. Meanwhile they kept a 
sharp lookout for the Spanish fleet. 

The queen went to her troops and bade 
them do their utmost. 

" I am come among you to live or die 
with you, to give my crown and my blood, 
even in the dust, for my God and my people. 
I know I have but the body of a weak and 
feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, 
and of a king of England." 

The first news of the Armada came to the 
famous Sir Francis Drake, vice admiral of 
the English fleet. He, with Admiral Howard 
and others, was playing a game of bowls on 
the green at Plymouth, when a small white 

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sail came in sight. They soon saw that it 
was an English fishing boat, sailing at the top 
of its speed. 

When it reached land, its master came in 
haste to Drake to tell him he had seen the 
Spanish fleet. 

Drake's friends gathered round to hear, 
and some of them wished to go at once to 
their ships. 

" No, indeed," insisted Drake; " we have 
plenty of time to end our game and whip 
the Spaniards too." 

The news went like wildfire. On many 
hilltops fires were lighted to tell the people 
to make ready. Men on swift horses started 
through the country to spread the word. 

That night the English fleet put to sea. 

The next day they saw the mighty force 
with which they had to fight. Before them, 
in the shape of a half moon, lay the Spanish 
men-of-war. They looked like great castles. 
The line measured seven miles from point 
to point. There were one hundred and thirty 

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ships. On board were the best captains and 
the bravest men of Spain. 

The English had much fewer ships. None 
of them were so large as the Spanish men-of- 
war, and some of them were small. But they 
were lighter than the Spanish ships, and could 
sail much faster. And their captains knew 
how to fight. 

The English did not dare to face the whole 
fleet at once. They sailed back and forth be- 
fore the great Spanish men-of-war, and fired 
into them as they passed by. Then they got 
out of the way before the enemy could turn 
on them; and they were too swift to be 
pursued. The water was often rough, too, 
and much of the shooting done by the Span- 
iards went into the air or the sea. This kind 
of fighting lasted several weeks. 

At last Drake tried a new plan. He filled 
eight old ships with tar and other things that 
would burn easily, and one dark night set 
them afire and sent them into the midst of 
the Spanish fleet. 

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The enemy were greatly excited when they 
saw these boats. In their hurry to escape, 
many of them cut their cables. Some of the 
ships ran into each other. Others sailed 
out to sea, scarcely knowing where. When 
morning came, they were scattered in all 
directions. 

The Spaniards now lost hope. They de- 
cided to make their way home by sailing 
round Scotland and Ireland. 

The Armada now met a stronger foe than 
the English. Along the coast of Scotland 
great storms arose and drove many of the 
ships on the rocks. Off Ireland there were 
more storms and more wrecks. At a single 
place were counted eleven hundred dead 
bodies that had been washed ashore. 

Philip's ambition cost Spain the loss of 
many ships and the lives of many brave 
men. Of all that proud fleet of one hundred 
and thirty vessels only fifty-three returned. 
These were filled with sick and dying men. 

" I sent my ships against men," said the 
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proud king, when he heard the news; " not 
against winds and seas." 

The people of England were grateful to 
have been saved from the power and pride of 
Spain. They gave thanks to God for the 
victory. Queen Elizabeth had medals struck, 
bearing the words, in Latin, " God blew, 
and they were scattered." 



155 



XXXVI 

THE GUNPOWDER PLOT 

OUEEN ELIZABETH, you remember, 
reigned nearly forty-five years. When 
the time came for her to die, the peo- 
ple were wondering who was to be their next 
ruler; for never having married, Elizabeth 
had no heir to receive the throne, nor did 
she have a brother or a sister to succeed her. 

" To whom will Your Majesty leave her 
crown? " she was asked. 

" To our cousin of Scotland." 
By this she meant James the Sixth of 
Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, who 
had been put to death. 

And so James the Sixth of Scotland re- 
ceived the English crown, and became James 
the First of England. 

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Now many of the English people did not 
like the new king. There were certain men 
who wanted to get rid of him. They met in 
a lonely house, swore to keep their secret, 
and formed a plot against the king's life. 

Their plan was to blow up the House of 
Parliament, — king, nobles, and all. They 
rented a house close by and began to dig a 
tunnel between the two buildings. 

One day they learned that a man who 
kept coal in the cellar under the House of 
Lords was moving out to go to another place. 

This was good news. They at once rented 
his part of the cellar, saying that they were 
going to sell wood and coal. 

Into this cellar they took secretly thirty- 
six barrels of gunpowder and hid them under 
the wood and coal. 

Now it happened that most of the men who 
were in the plot had friends or relatives in 
Parliament, and wished to save them if they 
could. 

Just before the fifth of November, when 
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Parliament was to meet, one of the lords 
received a letter without any name attached 
to it. 

" Do not go to the House," the letter 
said, " for there shall be a sudden blow to 
many, and yet they shall not see who hurts 
them." 

This letter was shown to King James. 

The king at once thought of gunpowder, 
and sent men to search the cellars. They 
found not only the thirty-six barrels of powder, 
but also the man who was hired to put a light 
to it, Guy Fawkes. 

They took him before the king to be 
questioned. 

" How can you have the heart to wish to 
destroy so many innocent people? " 

" Because desperate diseases need desper- 
ate remedies." 

After the examination Fawkes was taken 
to the Tower. Here they tortured him to 
make him tell the names of the others in the 
plot. In spite of all his pain he would betray 

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nobody. He only told of the plot, and what 
he himself meant to do. 

They wrote down all he said, and then had 
him sign his name. He had suffered so much 
and was so weak that he could only make a 
few marks with the pen. 

A little later Fawkes and several others 
were brought to trial. They were all found 
guilty and put to death. This was the end 
of the Gunpowder Plot. 

Now you know why the fifth of November 
is called Guy Fawkes Day, and why on that 
day in many of the towns of England they 
carry about a figure stuffed with straw, and 
then throw it into a bonfire. 



159 



XXXVII 

THE ROYAL OAK 

WHEN James the First died, his son 
Charles was crowned King Charles 
the First. During his reign the 
people became divided into two parties, 
those who were on the king's side and 
those who were against him. The king's 
armies were defeated, and the king himself 
was beheaded. 

After the death of Charles the First, many 
of the people wanted his oldest son, Prince 
Charles, for their king. Others did not 
want any ruler at all, having had so much 
trouble with King Charles. Those who were 
opposed to a king chose Oliver Cromwell as 
their leader. 

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Prince Charles, who had been in France 
for some time, now came home and claimed 
the crown. His friends fought for him, but 
they were not strong enough to make him 
king. Often he had to hide from the people. 
Sometimes he disguised himself to keep from 
being known. 

At one time a large sum of money was 
offered to anybody who would give him up; 
but not even the poorest were mean enough 
to tell where he was hiding. The friends of the 
young prince knew that if he fell into the hands 
of Cromwell he would be imprisoned and per- 
haps put to death, as his father had been. 

At last the army of Prince Charles was 
beaten. His men had to fly for their lives. 
The prince himself and a friend hurried from 
the field of battle and rode into the woods. 

Here they found some woodmen, one of 
whom gave the prince different clothes to 
put on. 

Charles and his friend now set out toward 
the sea. They had not gone far when they 

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heard horses behind them. Through the 
trees they could see Cromwell's redcoats, 
who had been sent to look for them. 

Close at hand was a large oak. In a mo- 
ment Charles and his friend had climbed up 
and were hidden among its leaves. They 
were just in time, for the redcoats passed 
under the very tree in which they were 
concealed. 

The soldiers were so busy looking all round 
them that they did not think of looking 
over their heads. After a while they rode 
away. 

Charles was safe, but he did not dare to 
leave the woods at once, for fear the soldiers 
would come back. He stayed all night in the 
great oak. He was so tired that he fell asleep; 
but his friend kept watch. 

When they left the woods, the prince hid 
in a barn. He had not had food for two days, 
and was glad to drink a pan of buttermilk 
that was brought him. 

He now cut off his long hair, put on poor 
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clothes, and so made his way through the 
country, slipping from house to house. 

After some days they came to the house of 
a woman named Jane Lane. She was a good 
friend to Charles, and found a way to help 
him. She dressed him as a servant, and had 
him sit in front of her on her horse, as was 
the custom in those days. In this way they 
finally reached the seaside. 

Jane Lane and the prince now went to 
an inn. The prince, still acting the part of 
a servant, was sent to the kitchen. Here 
he was almost found out. 

" Come, you idle fellow," cried the cook, 
" turn this spit for me." 

The prince had never done such a thing 
in his life. He did not know how. 

" How much you look like Prince Charles," 
somebody said. 

Charles made no reply; but he got out of the 
kitchen as soon as he could. Looking about 
him to find a way of escape, he came upon 
an old sailor, who took him across to France. 

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Nine years later the prince came again to 
England. Most of the people were glad to 
have him back. This time it was to be king. 
He was crowned Charles the Second. The 
crowning took place on the twenty-ninth 
of May, his birthday. 

He was called the Merry Monarch. He 
turned out to be a selfish, dishonest ruler, 
who did not look to the welfare of his people, 
but only sought his own pleasure. 

The tree that had once concealed the young 
prince was for a long time called the Royal 
Oak. In some parts of England people still 
wear a sprig of oak on the twenty-ninth of 
May. They call the day Royal Oak Day. 



164 



XXXVIII 

THE GREAT PLAGUE 

THE houses in London used to be made 
of wood. They had no names or 
numbers on them, for few of the peo- 
ple could read. Many of them had signs 
painted on them, such as the figure of a lamb, 
a bear, or an oak tree. The streets were 
narrow, dark, and dirty. 

In the summer of 1665, during the reign of 
Charles the Second, London was visited by 
the plague. It was a strange disease that 
came from the East. Nobody knew anything 
about it, and no doctor knew how to cure it. 

Men were suddenly taken sick in the 
streets, and dropped to the ground as if shot. 
Women were seized while~~they went about 

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their household work. Children caught the 
disease at their play. Nobody that fell ill 
of this dreadful sickness was expected to 
get well. 

The plague spread so rapidly that within 
six months more than a hundred thousand 
people died. When it was at its worst, 
more than a thousand died every day. In- 
deed, they died so fast that they could not 
be properly buried. Great trenches were 
dug outside the city, and the dead bodies 
were thrown into them. 

In the stricken parts of London the houses 
were deserted and silent. The shops were 
closed. Business was at a standstill. All 
who could get away fled to the country. 
The once crowded streets had grass growing 
in them. 

The silence of the night was broken only 
by the rumble of carts, and by the bell and 
call of the drivers: " Bring out your dead. 
Bring out your dead." 

To prevent the disease from spreading, 
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the Lord Mayor of London sent out an order 
that the houses visited by the plague should 
be closed. A red cross was painted on the 
door, and below the cross the words " Lord, 
have mercy upon us." 

The doors were made fast from the out- 
side. Watchmen saw that nobody went in 
or came out. These men also brought food 
to those in the houses, and carried messages 
between them and their friends. 

Dreadful scenes sometimes took place. 
People were killed by their nurses, and 
robbed of the very beds in which they were 
lying. Others went mad and threw them- 
selves into the river. Even more dreadful 
was the case of those who sought to drown 
their fears in drinking and bad deeds, and 
who thus only hastened their own end. 

All this time the Merry Monarch was just 
as merry and selfish as ever. When the 
plague broke out, he and his court fled from 
London, but only to continue their gambling 
and drinking and shameless living. 

167 



XXXIX 



THE GREAT FIRE 



EARLY one Sunday morning, in the year 
following that of the Great Plague, 
the people near London Bridge were 
suddenly roused from their sleep by a sharp 
cry in the street : " Fire! Fire! Fire!" 

They hurried out of their beds, and found 
a baker's shop in flames. 

There was a strong east wind, and the fire 
spread rapidly. It went from house to house, 
and leaped across the streets in sheets of 
living flame, like some wild beast bent on 
eating up all before it. 

For three long days and nights the fire 
raged. The clouds of smoke, hot ashes, and 
flying sparks were carried far into the coun- 

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try. By night the sky was lighted for miles. 
The streets were filled with thousands of 
homeless people, men, women, and children, 
running about crying, and wringing their 
hands in despair. 

At last, for the purpose of stopping the 
fire, they began to blow up the houses with 
gunpowder and make wide gaps in the streets. 
Thus the fire was finally checked. 

In this great fire were destroyed eighty- 
nine churches and more than thirteen thou- 
sand houses. Nearly two hundred thousand 
people lost all they had. What little could 
be saved from the fire was taken to places of 
safety by the boats on the Thames, or carried 
out of the city. The fields round London were 
covered with rude huts and tents for the 
homeless people. 

But bad as this fire was, a great deal of 
good came out of it. It swept away the nar- 
row lanes and dirty streets where the plague 
had been. And it filled up the wells of im- 
pure water. 

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In rebuilding the city the streets were 
made wider and the houses better. By means 
of a canal good water was brought from fine 
springs in the country. 

And so with better streets, better houses, 
better air, and better water, there was less 
chance for either plague or fire ever to do 
again the harm it did in the reign of Charles 
the Second. 

The churches and much of the city were 
rebuilt after the plans of the great builder 
of the time, Sir Christopher Wren. Saint 
Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt by him, is one of 
the largest and most beautiful churches in 
the world. 

In the memory of the Great Fire a monu- 
ment designed by the same Sir Christopher 
was erected near London Bridge, close to 
where the fire began. The monument is 
still there. It is a stone column about two 
hundred feet high, with stone steps leading 
to the top. From the top you can see a 
large part of London. 

170 



XL 



BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE " 



NOW when the Merry Monarch came to 
his end, his brother James was crowned 
as James the Second. He was not a 
good king, and after a few years had to flee 
from England. He spent the rest of his 
life in France. 

About fifty years later, after several other 
rulers had occupied the throne, the Stuart 
family tried to get the crown back. 

Prince Charles Edward, the grandson of 
James the Second, thought the crown be- 
longed to him and to his father before him. 
The Scots were fond of Bonnie Prince Charlie, 
as they called him, and many of them took 
his side. 

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The young prince collected an army of 
Scotch Highlanders. He won a battle or 
two, but was finally beaten. Many brave 
Highlanders lost their lives, and Charles 
sought safety in flight. Day and night he 
was pursued like a wild beast, hunted from 
spot to spot among the hills and glens and 
lakes of Scotland. 

At one time he would snatch a few hours' 
sleep on a heap of straw in a cow house. 
Often he had to sleep in the open air, with 
only the bare ground for a bed. Once he 
lived in a lonely cave, the retreat of a band 
of men who stole sheep and cattle. 

As for food, he ate what he could get. 
It was generally plain and coarse. He often 
had to eat it out of the kettle in which it 
was cooked. 

The English offered a large sum of money 
for him. But poor as the people were, they 
would not give him up. Every day, however, 
it became harder and harder to conceal him. 

At last, when hope was almost at an end, 
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a brave and gentle lady named Flora Mac- 
donald came to his help. She had him dress 
as a maidservant, and gave him the name of 
Betty Burke. 

Sometimes they ran great risk of being 
caught. Often through night and storm they 
had to row from the Isle of Skye, where Flora 
Macdonald lived, to some other island. 

The prince's height made people stare at 
him and say, " See what long steps that 
woman takes." 

At one house where they sought shelter 
a little girl ran to her mother and cried, 
" Father has brought home the most odd- 
looking woman I ever saw." 

The friends of the poor prince often laughed 
at the mistakes he made when dressed as 
Betty Burke. Once when crossing a stream 
he lifted the skirts of his dress. The next 
time he forgot to do so, and his dress floated 
in the water. 

After many weary days and weeks in the 
Highlands of Scotland, Charles was picked 

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up by a French ship and carried out of danger. 
He never saw Scotland again, or the lady 
who had saved him. 

This was the last time the Stuarts ever 
tried to get back their lost throne. 

Many a song is sung, and many a story 
is told, of Bonnie Prince Charlie. 

" Over the water, and over the sea, 
And over the water to Charlie; 
Come weal, come woe, we'll gather and go, 
And live or die with Charlie." 



174 



XLI 

England's greatest naval hero 

ENGLAND has had many great sailors 
to fight her battles on the ocean, 
but the greatest of them all was the 
famous Lord Nelson. He was born in 1758, 
at the close of the reign of George the Second. 
He died in 1805, in the time of George the 
Third. 

When he was little, he was frail and sickly. 
But even in those early years he showed a 
spirit of unusual courage. 

One day he ran away from home. His 
father and mother looked everywhere for 
him. They found him at last sitting on the 
bank of a river. 

" I wonder," said his father, " that fear 
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did not send you back long ago, before you 
got so far." 

" What is fear? " asked the little fellow. 
" I have never seen it." 

Later on he was sent with his brother to 
a day school, some distance from home. 

One morning after a heavy fall of snow the 
boys started to school, but finally turned 
back. They were met at the door by their 
father. " Are you sure that the snow is 
too deep? " he asked. " Set out once more; 
and I trust to your honor to go to school 
if you can." 

The boys tried again. The snow was in- 
deed deep, and the older boy wanted to go 
home. 

" No, brother. We must go on, for it was 
left to our honor." 

On another occasion, when in the navy, 
Nelson went with his uncle far up into the 
North Sea. One morning he stole away from 
the ship, and was found on the ice with a 
white bear. He had not been able to shoot 

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the bear, for his gun was broken; but he 
tired him out and clubbed him to death. 

When he was taken before the captain 
and asked why he quit the ship without leave, 
his only excuse was, " I wished, sir, to get 
a bearskin for my father." 

Nelson had entered the navy at the age of 
thirteen. He was rapidly promoted. Before 
he was quite twenty-one, he was made captain. 

His sailors loved him. They would obey 
his least word, and were proud to fight under 
him. 

" My men are no more afraid of cannon 
balls than they are of peas," he used to say. 

In one battle this brave man lost an eye. 
In another he lost an arm. But although he 
had but one eye and one arm, he was always 
the first to go into the fight and the last to 
come out. 

Of all his great victories the greatest 
was that which he won against the united 
French and Spanish fleets off the coast of 
Spain, near Cape Trafalgar. 

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Nelson was in command of the English 
fleet. After making careful preparations, 
he gave orders to begin the fight. From the 
mast of his flagship, the Victory, floated 
his last signal: " England expects that every 
man will do his duty." 

The signal was greeted with cheers. 

The battle began. 

Nelson's ship was received by the enemy 
with a furious storm of shot and shell; for 
his ship was well known, and everybody 
wanted to sink her. 

Nelson did not fire a single gun till he came 
alongside of the French admiral's ship. Then 
he poured a broadside into the enemy which 
raked her from stem to stern. 

He now attacked another large French 
ship. During the sharp fighting a number 
of the enemy climbed into the rigging and 
fired down on the English. 

There stood Nelson on the deck, calmly 
giving his orders. He was easily known by 
his dress. Before the battle he had the feel- 

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ing that it was to be his last fight. His 
officers urged him to wear a plainer coat, 
without his stars and medals. 

" No," he answered calmly; " in honor I 
have won them, and in honor I will die with 
them." 

A bullet struck him. 

" They have done for me at last," he said 
to the officer who knelt beside him. 

" I hope not." 

He was tenderly carried below. 

After a while Captain Hardy went to take 
him the news of the battle. 

" Well, Hardy, how goes the day with us? " 

" Very well. Ten of the enemy have 
struck their colors." 

At the end of another hour Hardy came to 
report that fifteen ships had been taken 

"That is well." Then taking Hardy's 
hand, Nelson said in a low voice, " Don't 
throw me overboard. I am satisfied. God 
bless you, Hardy. Thank God, I have done 
my duty." 

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These were his last words. 

The Battle of Trafalgar was won. England 
was safe. But the victory was dearly bought. 
It cost England the life of him who was not 
only her greatest admiral, but also one of 
the noblest and most generous of men. 



180 



XLII 

JAMES WATT AND THE STEAM ENGINE 

JAMES WATT was born in Scotland, in 
1736, when George the Second was king. 
He died in 1819, in his eighty-fourth year. 
In his boyhood Watt was not strong. 
He could not go to school regularly, and in 
many things had to be his own teacher. 
His favorite study was mathematics, and he 
also took great interest in machines. 

" Jamie, lad," his mother said to him one 
day, " watch the kettle and see that it does 
not boil over." 

By and by the kettle began to sing. 
"What makes the kettle sing?" he asked 
himself. 

He kept thinking about it till his mother 
came back. 

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" Mother, there is a giant in that kettle." 

" Oh, you silly boy, how could there be a 
giant in that little kettle? There is nothing 
in it but boiling water." 

" Ah, but there is something else in it. 
There is a giant in it. Listen, and you will 
hear him rattling the lid and making the 
kettle sing. My giant likes to be kept shut 
in. He is always strongest then. If that lid 
were twenty times as heavy, he would lift 
it and make it dance just the same." 

" And what may be the name of your fine 
giant, Jamie? " and his mother smiled at 
him. 

" I will very soon tell you that. His name 
is Steam. He is stronger than a hundred 
horses." 

Little Jamie Watt was quite right. 

At the age of eighteen he was sent to 
London to become a maker of mathematical 
instruments. He used every minute of his 
time. He still had poor health, and in about 
a year he had to stop work. 

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A little later he went to Glasgow to begin 
again. Here he received an appointment to 
the university, and was given a place in which 
to work. With books all about him, and 
meeting learned men daily, he did not waste 
his spare time. 

While at the University of Glasgow he 
began to experiment with steam. After a 
while he gave all his time to these experi- 
ments. At last he made a real steam en- 
gine. His giant Steam did the work, and 
was stronger, as he had said, than a hun- 
dred horses. 

In making the steam engine James Watt 
did the world a service that was beyond 
measure. He was highly honored both at 
home and abroad, and was made a member 
of several learned societies. In many of the 
larger towns of Scotland and England the 
streets are adorned with his statue. 

Watt deserves all the honor paid him both 
then and now. He deserves it not merely 
for what he did, he deserves it for what he was. 

183 



XLIII 

GEORGE STEPHENSON AND THE LOCOMOTIVE 

GEORGE STEPHENSON was born in 
1781, in the reign of George the Third. 
His parents were extremely poor. His 
early life was a struggle between poverty 
and his honest effort to make the most of 
himself. On one occasion he almost gave 
way to despair, and thought of leaving 
England. 

" I wept bitterly," he says, " f or I knew 
not where my lot in life might be cast." 

Stephenson began work as a boy by herd- 
ing cows at four cents a day. Then he was 
advanced to hoeing turnips at eight cents 
a day. 

Then he became fireman at a coal mine. 
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It was to him a time for rejoicing when at 
the age of fifteen he began to earn three dol- 
lars a week. 

While he was fireman, he applied himself to 
the study of Watt's steam engine. He took 
it to pieces, and learned all its parts. He 
became so skillful in repairing engines that 
he was called the engine doctor. 

In the meantime he was attending a night 
school and paying eight cents a week for 
lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic. He 
did his studying by the firelight of his engine. 

At this time people traveled by stagecoach. 
Some of the trips were long, and were not 
very safe. The roads were so bad that the 
coach sometimes broke down or upset. And 
there were many thieves about. 

" Why may not an engine be made to run 
on wheels? " thought young Stephenson; and 
this thought was ever in his mind. 

He tried and tried. At last he succeeded 
in building a locomotive. It was a clumsy 
affair, and could travel only six miles an hour. 

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People laughed at it, and called it Puffing 
Billy. This engine was used on a railroad 
between Stockton and Darlington. 

Some years later a railroad was proposed be- 
tween Liverpool and Manchester. Stephenson 
was chosen to take charge of the work. He 
said he would make a locomotive that would 
run, not six, but twenty miles an hour. 

" You must change your plans," declared 
one of the directors, " and bring your engine 
within a reasonable speed, or you will ruin 
the whole thing and be regarded as a maniac, 
fit only for Bedlam." 

A writer in the London Quarterly Review 
made fun of the absurd idea of traveling 
twice as fast as a stagecoach. 

" We should as soon expect the people to 
trust themselves to be fired off upon one of 
Congreve's rockets," he wrote, " as trust 
themselves to the mercy of such a machine 
going at such a rate." 

" Suppose, now," said a member of the 
committee who questioned Stephenson, " one 

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of the engines to be going along a railroad at 
the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, and that 
a cow were to stray upon the line and get in 
the way of the engine: would not that, think 
you, be a very awkward circumstance? " 

" Yes," replied Stephenson, with a twinkle 
in his eye, " very awkward — for the coo! " 

The new locomotive, the Rocket, was at 
last completed. To the amazement of every- 
body but Stephenson himself, it ran at the 
undreamed-of rate of thirty-five miles an 
hour. 

" Now," said one of the directors of the 
railroad, " George Stephenson has at last 
delivered himself." 

Hundreds of millions of dollars were soon 
invested in railroads all over the country. 
The building of the roads was intrusted to 
Stephenson. His offices in London were 
crowded with people who offered him large 
sums of money for the use of his name; but 
he was too honest to make money without 
working for it. 

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Through all these busy years George 
Stephenson kept the heart of a boy. In the 
spring he would snatch a day now and then 
for his garden or to hunt birds' nests; and in 
one of his letters to his son he writes a touch- 
ing account of a pair of robins. In the autumn 
he would find time to go nutting. 

The last years of his life were spent in the 
quiet of his country home. With his heart 
as youthful as ever he now indulged his love 
for nature. He died in the summer of 1848. 



188 



XLIV 

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE 

MY last story to you is going to be 
about the good Queen Victoria. 
But I wish first to tell you of an 
event in her reign which ranks as one of the 
most heroic in all history. It occurred in 
southern Russia, in the Crimean War. This 
was the war in which the English and the 
French united their forces to prevent Russia 
from seizing certain lands that belonged to 
Turkey. 

The Crimean War lasted from 1853 to 
1856. My story has to do with one of the 
great battles fought in 1854. 

Through a mistake made in directing the 
troops, a brigade of English cavalry was 
ordered to charge the Russian artillery. To 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

do this, they had to ride a mile and a half 
across an open plain swept by the enemy's 
cannon. It was like riding into the jaws of 
death. 

The officer commanding the cavalry feared 
a mistake had been made. But he felt it his 
duty to obey. He ordered his men to advance. 

The Russian artillery opened a galling 
fire. Right and left the shots fell thick and 
fast, smoke filled the air, and the noise was 
like thunder. 

But without flinching, the gallant six hun- 
dred dashed through it all. They killed the 
gunners, broke the Russian line, and then 
turned and rode back. Two thirds of their 
number were left dead on the field. 

Tennyson, in his poem called " The Charge 
of the Light Brigade," has given us a thrilling 
description of the scene. 

Half a league, half a league, 

Half a league onward, 
All in the valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 
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" Forward, the Light Brigade! 
Charge for the guns! " he said: 
Into the valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 

" Forward, the Light Brigade! " 
Was there a man dismay'd? 
Not tho' the soldier knew 

Some one had blunder'd: 
Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why, 
Theirs but to do and die: 
Into the valley of Death 
Rode the six hundred. 

Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon in front of them 

Volley 'd and thunder'd; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell, 
Boldly they rode and well, 
Into the jaws of Death, 
Into the mouth of Hell 

Rode the six hundred. 

Flash'd all their sabres bare, 
Flash'd as they turn'd in air 
Sabring the gunners there, 
Charging an army, while 
All the world wonder'd: 
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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

Plunged in the battery-smoke 
Right thro' the line they broke; 
Cossack and Russian 
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke 

Shatter'd and sunder'd. 
Then they rode back, but not 

Not the six hundred. 

Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon behind them 

Volley'd and thunder'd; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell, 
While horse and hero fell, 
They that had fought so well 
Came thro' the jaws of Death, 
Back from the mouth of Hell, 
All that was left of them, 

Left of six hundred. 

When can their glory fade? 
O the wild charge they made! 

All the world wonder'd. 
Honour the charge they made! 
Honour the Light Brigade, 

Noble Six Hundred! 



192 



XLV 

QUEEN VICTORIA 

PRINCESS VICTORIA was born May 
24, 1819. Kensington Palace, where she 
was born and brought up, was at that 
time in the midst of green fields, outside of 
London. The year of her birth was the same 
year that Watt died, and about the time that 
Stephenson was improving his locomotive. 

The little princess had a happy youth. 
In one of the rooms of Kensington Palace 
may still be seen her dolls' house, with table 
and chairs and tea service all ready for 
company. 

Victoria had a white donkey that she was 
fond of, and a pony carriage. She often went 
to the seaside, where she dug in the sand, 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

gathered shells, and played like other chil- 
dren. 

During her youth she was taught to take 
proper exercise; to be temperate, fearless, and 
truthful; to practice economy, and yet be a 
generous giver. She became skillful in music 
and drawing. She also learned several foreign 
languages. 

In work and in play she was trained to 
finish one thing before beginning another. 
One day she was raking hay, and threw her 
rake down before she was done. 

" No, no, princess, finish it; " and she did 
as she was told. 

Another time she stopped at a shop to 
buy some presents. After spending all her 
money she saw a box that she wanted. The 
shopkeeper was willing to let her take it, 
but she was not permitted to do so until she 
brought the money to pay for it. 

On the morning of June 20, 1837, she was 
awakened at five o'clock, and told that two 
lords were waiting to see her. She did not 

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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

stop to dress. She appeared before them with 
her hair falling over her shoulders, and her 
feet in slippers. 

The lords informed her that her uncle, 
William the Fourth, was dead, and that she 
was queen of England. 

" I ask your prayers," she said, with tears 
in her eyes, " that I may be fit to fill this 
great place." 

In 1840, in her twenty-first year, she mar- 
ried her cousin, Prince Albert, of Germany. 
The marriage was an unusually happy one. 

Queen Victoria always found time to visit 
the poor in their cottages, and the sick and 
wounded in the hospitals. Her visits were 
eagerly expected, for her gifts and her words 
brought comfort and sunshine. 

A clergyman once went to visit a sick 
man. He heard somebody reading, and 
paused at the door. On looking in he saw 
a lady sitting by the bedside. It was the 
queen. 

" Oh, if I could only see the queen! " 
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THE ENGLISH HISTORY STORY - BOOK 

cried a little girl in one of the hospitals; 
" I am sure I should soon be quite well." 

The queen heard of it, and went to her. 

" My dear," she said kindly, " I hope you 
will soon be well now." 

The child looked up at her, and a bright 
smile came into her little face. 

In the same room was a boy with a broken 
arm. The queen listened to his story, and 
sent his poor mother a gift of money. Part 
of the money was spent for a Bible. The boy 
called it the Queen's Bible. 

Now Victoria reigned nearly sixty-four 
years, a longer period than that of any 
English ruler before her. A great many things, 
both good and bad, happened in this long 
time. In general, it was a period of progress 
in England and in the world at large, with 
great blessings for humanity. 

The beloved queen died January 22, 1901, 
amid the tears of her people. She was a good 
queen and a noble woman, and her loss was 
mourned by the world. 

THE END. 



Pronunciation of Proper Names 



Angles, ang'gls. 
Armada, ar-ma'da. 
Ascham, as'kam. 
Athelstan, ath'el-stan. 
Austria, os'tri-a. 

B 

Bannockburn, ban'uk-burn. 
Bertrand, ber-tron' {on as 

French). 
Blondel, blon-del'. 
Boadicea, bo-a-di-ce'a. 
Bohemia, bo-he' mi-a. 
Bosworth, boz'wurth. 
Bothwell, both'wel (th as 

the). 
Briton, brit'un. 

c 

Calais, ka-lay'. 
Canterbury, kan' ter-ber-y . 
Canute, ka-nute' . 
Caradoc, kar'a-dok. 
Cathedral, ka-the'dral. 
Christopher Wren, kris'to 

ren. 
Congreve, kong'greve. 



Crecy, kray-se'. 
Crimean, kri-me'an. 

D 

Dane, dane. 

Danish, dane'ish. 
Darlington, dar'ling-tun. 
Denmark, den' mark. 
Douglas, dug'las. 

E 

Edinburgh, ed'en-bur-o. 
Edmund, ed'mund. 
Eleanor, cl'a-nor. 
Ely, e'ly. 

England, ing' gland. 
Ethelred, eth' el-red. 

G 

Geoffrey, jefry. 

Glasgow, glas'go. 
Gloucester, glos'ter. 
Godwin, god' win. 
Greenwich, grin'ij. 
Guy Fawkes, gi fox {g 
get). 

H 



-fer Harold, har'uld. 

Hastings, haste'ings. 
Hengist, heng'gist. 

197 



PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES 



Hexam, hek'sam. 
Horsa, hor'sa. 
Hubert, hu'bert. 

I 

Isle of Skye, He of sky. 

Isle of Thanet, He of than'et. 

Italy, it'a-ly. 

J 

Jerusalem, je-roo'sa-lem. 
Julius Caesar, jool'yus se'zer. 

K 

Kensington, ken' zing-tun. 



Lancaster, lang'kas-ter. 
Liverpool, liv'er-pool. 
Loch Leven, lok le'ven. 

M 
Macdonald, mak-don' aid. 
Magna Charta, mag'na kar'ta. 
Manchester, man'ches-ter. 
Matilda, ma*til'da. 

N 
Normandy, nor'man-dy. 



Parliament, par'li-ment. 
Peterborough, pe'ler-bur-o. 
Philippa, fi-lip'a. 
Plymouth, plim'uth. 



Pudding, pood'ing (oo as in 
foot). 

R 

Raleigh, rol'y. 
Rhine, vine. 
Roanoke, ro'a-nok. 
Rowena, ro-e'na. 
Russia, rush'a. 

S 
Saxon, sax'un. 
Sepulcher, sep'id-ker. 
Shakespeare, shake' 'speare. 
Sherwood, shur'wood. 
Somerset, sum'er-set. 
Stephen, ste'ven. 
Stephenson, ste'ven-sun. 
Sweyn, swane. 

T 

Tennyson, ten'i-sun. 
Thames, temz. 
Trafalgar, traf-al-gar' . 
Tyne, tine. 

V 

Venice, ven'is. 
Victoria, vik-io'ri-a. 
Vortigern, vor'ti-gern. 

W 

Westminster, west'min-ster. 
Windsor, win'zer. 



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11 1912 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS # 

020 718 979 



